language: en

Modeling and the Adaptive Solution of CVD Fiber-Coating Processes

S. Adjerid, J. E. Flaherty, J. B. Hudson, and M. S. Shephard
Scientific Computation Research Center Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York 12180, USA

Abstract We develop a mathematical model for the coating of ceramic fibers by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in cylindrical hot- or cold-walled reactors. The model couples the Navier-Stokes equations for the mixture of a carrier gas and precursor species, an energy equation for the gaseous mixture, a convection-diffusion system for the reacting precursor species, a fiber coating model, and a fiber heat conduction equation. The system is heated by a combination of conduction, convection, and radiation. The partial differential system resulting from this model is solved by adaptive finite element software using automatic mesh refinement and coarsening on a quadtree-structured mesh. The results of parameter studies indicate the effectiveness of using adaptive solution techniques with CVD applications and also suggest some guidance for improving the process.

1 Introduction