Research Article Open Access

Gas Atomization of Molten Metal: Part I. Numerical Modeling Conception

Genaro Pérez-de León1, Vincent E. Lamberti2, Roland D. Seals2, Taher M. Abu-Lebdeh1 and Sameer A. Hamoush1
  • 1 North Carolina A&T State University, United States
  • 2 Engineering Development Division, United States

Abstract

This numerical analysis study entails creating and assessing a model that is capable of simulating molten metal droplets and the production of metal powder during the Gas Atomization (GA) method. The essential goal of this research aims to gather more information on simulating the process of creating metal powder. The model structure and perspective was built through the application of governing equations and aspects that utilized factors such as gas dynamics, droplet dynamics, energy balance, heat transfer, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics that were proposed from previous studies. The model is very simple and can be broken down into having a set of inputs to produce outputs. The inputs are the processing parameters such as the initial temperature of the metal alloy, the gas pressure and the size of the droplets. Additional inputs include the selection of the metal alloy and the atomization gas and factoring in their properties. The outputs can be designated by the velocity and thermal profiles of the droplet and gas. These profiles illustrate the speed of both as well as the rate of temperature change or cooling rate of the droplets. The main focus is the temperature change and finding the right parameters to ensure that the metal powder is efficiently produced. Once the model was conceptualized and finalized, it was employed to verify the results of other previous studies.

American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Volume 9 No. 2, 2016, 303-322

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajeassp.2016.303.322

Submitted On: 7 April 2016 Published On: 10 April 2016

How to Cite: León, G. P., Lamberti, V. E., Seals, R. D., Abu-Lebdeh, T. M. & Hamoush, S. A. (2016). Gas Atomization of Molten Metal: Part I. Numerical Modeling Conception. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 9(2), 303-322. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajeassp.2016.303.322

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Keywords

  • Gas Atomization
  • Molten Metal
  • Metal Powder
  • Heat Transfer
  • Droplet Dynamics