Numerical study of atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet propagating into ambient nitrogen

In this paper, a two-dimensional fluid model is used to study the properties of atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet propagating into ambient nitrogen driven by a pulsed voltage, emphasizing the influence of gas velocity on the dynamic characteristics of the jet. The simulation results show that the argon jet exhibits a cylindrical shape channel and with the increase of propagation length, the jet channel gradually shrinks. The jet propagation velocity varies with time. Inside the dielectric tube, the plasma jet accelerates propagation and reaches its maximum value near the nozzle. Exiting from the tube, the propagation velocity of the plasma jet quickly decreases and when approaching the metal plane, the decrease of jet velocity slows down. The increase of gas speed leads to the variation of the jet spatial distribution. The electron density presents a solid structure at lower gas flow speeds, whereas an annular structure can be observed under the higher gas flow velocity in the ionization head. The jet length increases with the gas flow velocity. However, when the flow velocity exceeds a critical value, the increased rate of the plasma jet length becomes slow. Additionally, the influence of the gas flow speed on the production and transport of the reactive species is also studied and discussed.

Performance study of large-area glass resistive plate chambers with different spacer configurations

Optimization of spacer and gas distribution inside the glass resistive plate chamber (RPC) is reported. Simulation studies demonstrate improvements on the gas flow velocity homogeneity and lower vorticity inside the gas chamber. The optimized spacer configuration (76 spacers) decreases the number of spacers by 24% compared to the original design (100 spacers), thus helps significantly reduce the non-active or low-efficiency area caused by spacers while maintaining similar deformation uniformity of the electrodes. Large area glass RPCs with 1×1 m^2 size using two types of spacer configurations are constructed and tested with cosmic muons events. The muon detection efficiencies for RPCs are greater than 95%.

“Electrical wind” in CO2–laser mixtures at superatmospheric pressures

This article presents the results of “electrical wind” investigations in CO2–laser mixtures at superatmospheric (1–12 atm) pressures. It is established that for a fixed value of the unipolar corona discharge current, the gas flow velocity does not depend on the pressure, but is determined by the chemical composition of the working mixture. The maximum values of the “electrical wind” velocity are achieved in carbon dioxide and molecular nitrogen and their values are 3.2 and 2.9 ms−1. In typical laser mixtures CO2:N2:He = 1:1:1 – 1:1:3 the velocity of the “electrical wind ” are in the range from 2.5 to 1.5 ms−.

Influence of Cross-Wind on CO2 Arc Welding of Carbon Steel

The purpose of this study is to develop a novel welding torch with high wind resistance, which can be used for welding outside a building under strong cross-wind. In this paper, a parametric study was carried out using different torch nozzle designs and shield gas flow rates for their optimization. The gas flow around the torch nozzle exit was visualized through the shadowgraph method to evaluate the interaction between the shielding gas flow and the cross-wind. Nitrogen fraction in a weld bead was measured for confirming the shielding effect. Furthermore, CFD simulation was also carried out for obtaining shielding gas flow velocity at the torch nozzle exit. From the result of the above experiments and simulation, effective parameters for improving the shielding effect against the cross-wind were comprehensively discussed. As a result, the nitrogen fraction was found to be decreased by increasing the averaged vertical gas velocity at the torch nozzle exit. For achieving this, it is especially effective to decrease the nozzle diameter or increase the gas flow rate.

Chemistry of the Gasification of Carbonaceous Raw Material

The paper represents the studies of the process of carbonaceous raw material gasification. The initial material is represented by bituminous coal of grade H with the carbon (C) content of 79.2-85.3 %. Experimental studies have been used to substantiate the parameters of combustible generator gases (СО, Н2, СН4) output depending on the temperature of a reduction zone of the reaction channel and gas flow velocity along its length. It has been identified that the volume of the raw material input to be used for gasification process changes in direct proportion depending on the amount of burnt-out carbon and blow velocity. The gasification is intensified in terms of equal concentration of oxygen and carbon in the reaction channel of an underground gas generator. The gasification rate is stipulated by the intensity of chemical reactions, which depend immediately on the modes of blow mixture supply. Moreover, they depend directly on the intensity of oxygen supply to the coal mass and removal of the gasification products.

A Semi-Empirical Approach to Gas Flow Velocity Measurement by Means of the Thermal Time-of-Flight Method

This paper presents a method of measuring gas flow velocity based on the thermal time-of-flight method. The essence of the solution is an analysis of the time shift and the shape of voltage signals at the transmitter and at a temperature wave detector. The measurements used a probe composed of a wave transmitter and a detector, both in the form of thin tungsten wires. A rectangular signal was used at the wave transmitter. The time-of-flight of the wave was determined on the basis of the time shift of two selected characteristic points of the voltage waveform at the transmitter and the wave detector. To obtain the correct velocity indication, a correction in the form of a simple power function was applied. From the measurements performed, the relative uncertainty of the method was obtained, from approx. 4% of the measured value at an inflow velocity of 6.5 cm/s to 1% for an inflow velocity of 50 cm/s and higher.

The Flow Rate Characteristics of CO Gas Emissions Using Simflow 3.1

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a type of pollutant produced by industrial activities and is emitted through gas exhaust flues. Simulation activities are considered to provide a lot of information regarding the distribution of CO gas flow in the air. This paper will analyze the velocity and pressure distribution characteristics of CO gas to predict the accumulation of CO gas at various variations in the distribution distance of the gas. Simulation activities are carried out using SIMFLOW 3.1, a software capable of simulating fluid dynamics by emphasizing the ease of application. The simulation results show that the flow rate of CO gas is proportional to the amount of gas pressure generated at each distribution distance of the gas. The CO gas flow shows a fairly stable movement when identified at a distance of more than 30 m. This indicates that a mass of CO gas will be transmitted in the same amount over a distance of up to 70 m. The largest gas accumulation was obtained at a distance of 20 m from the source, which was indicated by the smallest gas flow velocity of 3.87 x 10-3 m/s.