Modeling hydrodynamic flows in plasma fluxes when depositing metal layer on the surface of catalyst converters

Abstract

Air pollution with harmful substances resulting from combustion of liquid hydrocarbons and emitted into atmosphere became one of the global environmental problems in the late 20th century. The systems of neutralization capable to reduce toxicity of exhaust gases several times are very important for making environmentally safer combustion products discharged into the atmosphere. As revealed in the literature review, one of the most promising purification procedures is neutralization of burnt gases by catalyst converter systems. The principal working element in the converter is a catalytic layer of metals deposited on ceramics, with thickness 20-60 micron and a well-developed micro-relief. The paper presents a thoroughly substantiated new procedure of deposing a nano-scale surface layer of metal-catalyst particles, furthering the utilization of catalysts on a new level. The paper provides description of mathematical models and computational researches into plasma fluxes under high-frequency impulse input delivered to electrode material, explorations of developing Kelvin-Helmholtz, Marangoni and magnetic hydrodynamic instabilities on the surface of liquid electrode metal droplet in the nano-scale range of wavelengths to obtain a flow of nano-meter particles of cathode material. The authors have outlined a physical and mathematical model of magnetic and hydrodynamic instability for the case of melt flowing on the boundary with the molten metal with the purpose to predict the interphase shape and mutual effect of formed plasma jet and liquid metal droplet on the electrode in the nano-scale range of wavelengths at high-frequency impact on the boundary "electrode-liquid layer".