Numerical Modeling And Experimental Study Of Swirling Supersonic Gas Flow In The EIGA Atomizer For Metal Powder Production

Authors:

Baraa Qaddah (IRT M2P, France),
Pierre Chapelle (Institue Jean Lamour, France),
Julien Jourdan (Institue Jean Lamour, France),
Nicolas Rimbert (LEMTA, France),
Agathe Deborde (MetaFensch, France),
Raphael Hammes (MetaFensch, France),
Aurélie Franceschini (IRT M2P, France)

Abstract:

The requirement of high-quality metal powders production with fine spherical particle size is growing rapidly for the metal additive manufacturing process. An attractive technique to produce such powders is the EIGA process (Electrode Induction melting Gas Atomization), which employs a swirling supersonic gas jet flow exiting a free-fall nozzle to atomize a molten metal stream. The gas dynamics has dominant influences on the atomization mechanisms.A numerical model is developed to simulate the gas flow behaviour through and downstream the EIGA nozzle. The results produced by the numerical model are consistent with experimental observations of the shock|expansion waves produced in the gas flow obtained using Schlieren optical technique.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59499/WP225370728