Plasma Plume Expansion into Ambient Air: OpenFOAM Simulation Using rhoCentralFoam, sonicFoam, twoPhaseEulerFoam Solvers

The dynamics of laser-produced plasma plume expansion involves complex interactions between the ablated material and ambient air. This study investigates and compares the performance of three OpenFOAM solvers, namely twoPhaseEulerFoam (tPEF), rhoCentralFoam (rCF), and sonicFoam (sF) using an identical initial setup of geometry and parameters. The primary objective of this study is to affirm the applicability and reliability of the tPEF solver in modeling the laser-produced plasmas for multispecies cases. The focus is on the evaluating the tPEF solver’s ability to simulate plasma plume dynamics under atmospheric air pressure. Propagation of plasma shockwave, mesh generation, initial and boundary conditions, and hydrodynamics of single- and multi-phase equations are analyzed. Critical flow variables, such as pressure, velocity, temperature, and density, were monitored spatially and temporally to evaluate the solver performance. The simulation results demonstrate that tPEF produces stable and reliable results that align with physical expectations and previously published data. It was found to be particularly effective in capturing the plume’s hydrodynamic features, including multi-species behavior and interaction with the ambient environment. The findings affirm applicability of tPEF for modeling laser-induced plasma plumes, especially in capturing complex fluid dynamics and species evolution. This study will provide computational foundations essential for specific engineering applications involving pulsed laser ablation of multi-component materials.