Parametric Study on Suspension Behavior in an Inductively Coupled Plasma

Numerical analysis is conducted for the evolution of suspension particles in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The mathematical model based on the Lagrangian tracking method incorporates a nanoparticle model into the ICP code. This comprehensive model considers entire physical phenomena of the in-flight particle such as injection, accelerating, solvent evaporation, solid particle discharge, heating, melting, and evaporation. After validating the computational results of the flow field with published experimental data, parametric analysis has been performed to find the way of controlling the operating conditions for desirable final particle status. The influences of injection position, carrier gas velocity, power level, particle initial size on particle size, temperature, and velocity evolution have been in detail discussed. The relationship between the predicted height of droplet complete evaporation and the droplet initial diameter is deduced. Finally, results also calculate the critical size of an ethanol droplet suspended with zirconia particles, which will be completely vaporized under present conditions.