The global economy growth and active industrial development are limited, among other things, by the capabilities of existing technology. The potential for improving the functional characteristics of classical materials is practically exhausted, and the widespread use of new composite materials and high-enthalpy alloys is limited by the high cost and complexity of the technological process of their manufacture and processing. Knowledge of the materials physical-mechanical, thermophysical and chemical characteristics proves that the surface structural-phase state in many cases is crucial in the processes of wear, fracture, chemical and thermal destruction. Thus, the issue of developing technologies and equipment for modifying the surface layer and creating multicomponent coatings, including nanocomposite ones, is urgent. Current article presents the results of a study devoted to the creation of a facility for such coatings deposition by plasma spraying. One of the key elements of technological equipment for this method is a vacuum chamber, which is exposed to intense thermal stress during operation. Thus, the issue of designing a cooling system is relevant. To reduce the material and time resources at the design and experimental development, the temperature state of the chamber was simulated. It is shown that to ensure safe operation, it is advisable to use water cooling. The simulation results confirm the operability of the vacuum chamber cooling system under operating conditions. The following operating parameters were determined: the inlet pressure is 0.6 MPa, the water flow rate is 2 l/s, and the mass average temperature of the outlet water is about 40°C.

Keywords: plasma spraying, thermal state simulation, vacuum chamber, cooling system