Numerical simulation of nonequilibrium inductive plasma flow coupled with electromagnetic field calculation

Numerical investigation of nonequilibrium inductively coupled plasma (ICP) flow was carried out to study the physical properties of the flow inside a 10-kW ICP torch with the working gas being nitrogen. The flow field was described by two-dimensional compressible axisymmetric Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations that took into account 5 species and 8 chemical reactions. The magnetic vector-potential equations were tightly coupled with the flow-field equations to describe the heating process by inductive discharge. A four-temperature model was adopted to model thermal nonequilibrium process in the discharge torch. The characteristics of ICP flow such as thermal nonequilibrium, inductive discharge, and strong effects of Lorentz forces became clear through the present study.