Two-temperature modeling of laser sustained hydrogen plasmas

Ayhan E. Mertogul, Herman Krier

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A kinetic nonequilibrium model of laser sustained hydrogen plasmas has been formulated and solved for the prediction of steady-state energy transport processes. This model is the first of its kind and includes a discretized beam ray-trace with a variable index of refraction based upon plasma electron number density for a 10.6-μm CO2 laser input. Model results for fraction of incident laser power absorbed, and fraction of incident laser power retained by the hydrogen gas have compared favorably with experimental results. The model has been used to provide predictions of laser sustained plasma (LSP) performance well outside the realm of experiments to incident powers as high as 700 kW. At the gas pressures studied, minimal kinetic nonequilibrium was observed in LSP core regions, even for 700-kW laser power.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)781-790
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of thermophysics and heat transfer
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1994

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
  • Space and Planetary Science

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