Modeling the first instant of the interaction between a liquid and a plasma jet with a compressible approach

In this work, the numerical simulation of the interaction between a liquid jet and a plasma flow is investigated for understanding and predicting the physical parameters involved in the liquid plasma spraying process. This process is used for the production of high performance coatings to obtain thinner deposits (<100 mu m) than in conventional plasma spraying. The up-to-date goal is to describe the dispersion of liquid in order to understand the effect of injection conditions on the surface coating quality. This work proposes an original model for dealing with three-dimensional interactions between a plasma flow and a liquid phase with Volume Of Fluid (VOF) methods. A compressible model, capable of managing incompressible two-phase flows as well as compressible motions, is used. First comparisons with experimental photography show rather good agreement during the first moments of the injection. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.