Modeling of an AC Plasma Torch—Part I: Electrical Parameters and Flow Temperature

A numerical study of airflow in a single-phase ac plasma torch is presented. The values of electrical current being considered are up to 10-A rms, and the ac frequency is 50 Hz. The electric and gas-dynamic parameters of the plasma torch are efficiently simulated using the model based on the Navier-Stokes equations for compressible medium and the reduced Maxwell equations. The difference in the behavior of parameters in the channel and jet is demonstrated and discussed. The effect of decreasing the observed maximum value of the flow temperature with decreasing the flow rate is shown. An explanation of this effect and an analysis of the gas-dynamic patterns of cold flow and flow with the ac discharge are presented in the following article of the series.