Transport coefficients of plasmas consisting of insulator vapours

Application to PE, POM, PMMA PA66 and PC

¹ Laboratoire Arc Électrique et Plasmas Thermiques, Université Blaise Pascal, 24 avenue des Landais, 63177 Aubière Cedex, France
² GIAT industries, Centre de Bourges, 7 route de Guerry, 18023 Bourges Cedex, France

Corresponding author: pascal.andre@laept.univ-bpclermont.fr

Received: 10 February 2003
Revised: 15 October 2003
Accepted: 20 October 2003
Published online: 21 January 2004

Abstract

Calculated values of viscosity, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, density and specific enthalpy of plasma formed in five different insulators vapours (PE, POM, PMMA, PC and PA66) are presented. The calculations, which assume local thermodynamic equilibrium, are performed for three pressures (1 atm, 10 atm, 100 atm) in the temperature range from 5000 to 30000 K. The results for PE, PMMA and PA66 are compared with those of other authors at atmospheric pressure. Significant discrepancies are found; these are attributed both to differences in the collision integrals and to the formulation used in calculating the transport coefficients. We give all the data for the potential interaction and the formulation necessary to obtain reliable values of transport coefficients.