Simulation of droplet heating and desolvation in an inductively coupled plasma

The total desolvation rate of sample droplets in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is investigated through the development of a two-phase flow computer model. The model uses the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method for time-dependent studies of aerosol number density, droplet size, droplet temperature, and droplet velocity as a function of axial and radial distance from the nebulizer nozzle, the nebulizer dimensions, carrier gas flow rates, and solution uptake rates. The desolvation model is supplemented by equations used to determine the trajectories of particles through the plasma. The effect of coalescence following droplet-droplet collisions is also considered, as well as the effect of high Knudsen number environments on the desolvation and transport of the aerosol.