Simulation of Gasdynamic Processes in RF Inductive-Coupled, RF Arc and Laser Plasma for Hydrogen Reduction of Molybdenum Fluoride

Thermal and kinetic conditions for heating argon-hydrogen plasma during the synthesis of molybdenum and its carbide in RF inductive-coupled (RF-IC), RF arc plasmachemical reactors, and in laser-induced breakdown (LIB) plasma were studied using computational fluid dynamics methods. The calculation results indicate the effectiveness of gas-dynamic conditions in the studied RF-IC and RF arc reactors for the synthesis of molybdenum and its carbides. In the case of feeding a mixture for the synthesis of carbides into the reactor, in the RF arc, in contrast to the RF-IC plasmatron, condensed molybdenum is also formed along with molybdenum carbide, which is determined by the gas-dynamic configuration of the flow. Based on the results of modeling the LIB discharge, it was established that the gas mixture in the reactor does not have time to cool to the initial temperature during the period of time between pulses. The process should be completed when the temperature near the steel walls of the reactor after the next laser breakdown is close to the melting point of steel.