Numerical simulation of complex flow and heat transfer induced by localized laser heating on a urethane-coated substrate

A three-dimensional numerical simulation is conducted for complex flow and heat transfer that incorporate solid–liquid–vapor phase change and surface chemical reaction induced by localized laser heating on a urethane-coated stainless-steel substrate. The surface chemical reaction due to laser irradiation on the urethane-coated stainless-steel substrate, and heat and mass transfer due to melting/vaporization of the stainless steel are considered. The entire problem is solved within one computational domain that includes two solid regions and one gaseous region through a penalty method. One of the solid region is the paint that will decompose via chemical reaction to generate gaseous products and then mix with the air, and the other one is the stainless steel that melting and vaporization can occur due to extremely high temperature in the process. Moreover, the gas phase is considered as a multicomponent system that consists of O₂, N₂, CO₂, H₂O, NO₂, binder vapor, and stainless-steel vapor. In the present multiphysics simulation, the process of melting, vaporization and chemical reaction and the splash of the melted paint and stainless steel into the gas is observed.