Abstract: A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was formulated for DC arc hydrogen/argon plasma jet reactors used in the process of the thermal H₂/Ar plasma pyrolysis of coal to acetylene.In this model, fluid flow, convective heat transfer and conjugate heat conductivity are considered simultaneously.The error caused by estimating the inner-wall temperature of a reactor is avoided.The thermodynamic and transport properties of the hydrogen/argon mixture plasma system, which are usually expressed by a set of discrete dats, are fitted into expressions that can be easily implemented in the program.The effects of the turbulence are modeled by two standard k-s equations.The temperature field and velocity field in the plasma jet reactor were calculated by employing SIMPLEST algorithm.The knowledge and insight obtained are useful for the design improvement and scale-up of plasma reactors.

Key words: Plasma, Reactor, Computational fluid dynamics, Coal pyrolysis