Abstract A customized code using the free and fully open-source CFD software package OpenFOAM was developed to simulate a two-dimensional axisymmetric model of an inductively coupled plasma torch. To efficiently calculate the high-frequency magnetic fields generated by the inductive coil, a technique based on the vector potential formulation of Maxwell’s equations was implemented using the block coupled matrix solver provided by the foam-extend toolbox. While the fluid equations for the inner torch region are solved under the assumption of a laminar flowing argon plasma under atmospheric pressure and local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions, the electromagnetic equations are solved on an overlapping mesh extended far outside the torch. Moreover, a novel technique for initializing the plasma solver by separately precomputing the velocity and temperature fields is presented. Using this approach our plasma solver can run in both steady-state and transient modes. The implementation has been validated by means of analytical methods and the simulation results of the Tekna-PL50 plasma torch have been compared against literature data. The results obtained by means of the OpenFOAM code are in good agreement with those of the commercial CFD codes.

中文翻译：

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使用 OpenFOAM 的电感耦合等离子体炬的数值模拟

摘要 使用免费且完全开源的 CFD 软件包 OpenFOAM 开发了一个定制代码来模拟电感耦合等离子体炬的二维轴对称模型。为了有效地计算感应线圈产生的高频磁场，使用泡沫扩展工具箱提供的块耦合矩阵求解器实现了一种基于麦克斯韦方程组矢量势公式的技术。火炬内部区域的流体方程是在大气压和局部热力学平衡条件下层流流动的氩等离子体的假设下求解的，而电磁方程是在火炬外部延伸的重叠网格上求解的。而且，提出了一种通过分别预先计算速度和温度场来初始化等离子体求解器的新技术。使用这种方法，我们的等离子体求解器可以在稳态和瞬态模式下运行。该实施已通过分析方法得到验证，并且 Tekna-PL50 等离子炬的模拟结果已与文献数据进行了比较。通过 OpenFOAM 代码获得的结果与商业 CFD 代码的结果非常吻合。