ANSYS CFX adopted for simulation of plasmas
Modeling Tools Navigation
ANSYS CFX adopted for simulation of plasmas
ANSYS CFX is a robust commercial CFD code allowing 2D and 3D steady-state and unsteady simulations in areas of complex geometry using unstructured grids and multiple processors. The code is capable of modeling various physical phenomena, such as heat and mass transfer, radiation, turbulence, thermal convection etc. The code is extendable – it allows implementing additional physics by introducing additional variables and transport equations for them (with boundary conditions). Transport equations for gas and plasma energy and momentum; with simultaneous conjugated heat transfer solution in the solid parts of the system, including cathode, anode, and enclosure walls can be solved in complex geometry. This approach was tested for several applications including Analysis of ITER Diagnostics Port First Wall cooling system [1]. We implemented a set of boundary conditions that allowed simulations of quasineutral plasma, where sheath boundary conditions were implemented as plasma surface interface. Based on such approach a self-consistent model of the arc was developed consisting of the fluid model of gas and plasma coupled to models of heat transfer and current flow in the electrodes [2]. Plasma-surface interaction effects were also incorporated into the model. These effects include ablation or deposition of the material on electrodes, thermionic and field electron emission from the surfaces, recombination of ions on the surfaces, and heat transfer by radiation [2]. Effects of the space-charge limited sheathes were also taken into account as boundary conditions at the plasma-electrode interfaces [2]. Using this system of equations, a complex structure of the arc with ablating anode was simulated and both anode and cathode spots were investigated.
[1] A. Khodak, Y. Zhai, W. Wang, R. Feder, G. Loesser & D. Johnson, “Parametric Thermal and Flow Analysis of ITER Diagnostic Shield Module” Journal of Fusion Science and Technology 72, 271 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.133063
[2] J. Chen, A. Khrabry, I. D. Kaganovich, A. Khodak, V. Vekselman, H. -P. Li, “Validated two-dimensional modeling of short carbon arcs: anode and cathode spots”, Physics of Plasmas 27, 083511 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0011044
[3] V Vekselman, A Khrabry, I Kaganovich, B Stratton, R S Selinsky and Y Raitses, “Quantitative imaging of carbon dimer precursor for nanomaterial synthesis in the carbon arc”, Plasma Sources Science and Technology 27, 025008 (2018)
This capability is located at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
