03/21/2023
By Danielle Fretwell

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, invites you to attend the doctoral dissertation defense by Tlegen Kamidollayev on “Computational Modeling of Reactive Species Interphase Transport in Plasma Jet Impinging on Water.”

Candidate Name: Tlegen Kamidollayev
Defense Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Time:10 a.m. to noon
Location: Southwick 240. Those interested in attending virtually via Zoom should contact the student (Tlegen_Kamidollayev@student.uml.edu) and committee advisor (Juan_Trelles@uml.edu) at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee:

  • Advisor Juan Pablo Trelles, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Juan Pablo Trelles, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Maria Carreon, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Fanglin Che, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Noah Van Dam, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Lowell

Abstract:

The interaction between low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma and water is of primary relevance to an increasing number of applications, from water treatment to medicine. This doctoral research dissertation focuses on the interaction between an argon plasma jet and liquid water. Plasma-water interaction is investigated using a three-dimensional time-dependent model encompassing turbulent gas flow and induced liquid motion, air-water interphase dynamics, multiphase species transport, and gas- and liquid-phase chemical reactions. A Volume-of-Fluid (VoF) method coupled with a k-epsilon turbulence model is used to capture the deformation of the interphase due to the impingement of the jet. Three interphase species transport models consistent with the VoF approach are evaluated, which are based on arithmetic, harmonic, and conditional volume averaging of species diffusivities. Simulations of a streamer discharge-generated plasma jet impinging on the water for different flow rates are presented. The resulting deformation of the interphase and the production and accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, reactive oxygen, and nitrogen species corroborate prior findings in the research literature. Modeling results show that higher jet velocities and associated increased interface deformation led to the enhanced transport of reactive species across the plasma-water interphase.