Modelling of the plasma spray process with liquid feedstock injection

The feasibility of liquid precursor plasma spray techniques has already been demonstrated and coatings are manufactured with a large spectrum of textures and properties. However, a key to success is the ability (i) to produce, and maintain, a stable spray pattern with consistent trajectories, once the optimum operating conditions are determined for producing a coating with a specific microstructure; and (ii) to maximize the deposit efficiency. Realistic models of the spray process help to augment the understanding of a process that involves complex and intricate phenomena and to achieve these objectives. In particular, they make it possible to investigate the effect of the process operating conditions on specific phenomena. This paper deals with the effect of the fluctuations of the plasma jet on liquid feedstock injection and droplet possible break-up regimes in the gas flow.