Knudsen effect on plasma-particle mass transfer. I. Formulation and application to self-diffusion

• The Knudsen effect on mass transfer between a plasma gas and a small particle is investigated. A predictive model is developed by incorporating the Z-potential approach into the jump theory. The predictions of the model are explored through a case study. The results indicate that the Knudsen effect is significant and depends strongly on the particle size and the surface conditions. The plasma and the particle surface temperatures are also found to be determining factors. Under certain conditions, it is observed that the Knudsen effect can enhance the plasma-particle mass transfer, contrary to the predictions of the previous near-isothermal models. © 1986 Plenum Publishing Corporation.

Keyword

analytical studies

heat and mass transfer

Knudsen effect

molecular diffusion

small particles

thermal plasmas

Z-potential

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)