TY - JOUR
T1 - Modeling and Analysis of a Megawatt-Class Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster
AU - Mikellides, Pavlos
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partially funded by the Artemis Arrowhead project under grant agreement number 332987 (Artemis/Ecsel Joint Undertaking, supported by the European Commission and French Public Authorities).
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - The magnetohydrodynamic code MACH2 is utilized to investigate the operation and performance of a megawatt-class, quasi-steady, self-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. The numerical results are validated by comparisons to experimental data and offer significant insights into this regime of operation. Specifically, operation at 0.5-6 MW and 1.37 g/s shows incomplete hydrogen-propellant ionization that is dominated by electron-neutral collisions, which in turn increase the plasma voltage, but do not substantially increase thrust. Acceleration is of a hybrid nature, transitioning from primarily electrothermal to predominantly electromagnetic with increasing current level. Detailed interrogation of energy deposition shows significant deposition to internal modes, as opposed to external-circuit-element losses and electrode losses via fall voltage and thermal conduction, even at the higher power levels. These frozen-flow and radial-momentum losses can be reduced while the system still operates with minimum power penalty by proper expansion of the flow.
AB - The magnetohydrodynamic code MACH2 is utilized to investigate the operation and performance of a megawatt-class, quasi-steady, self-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. The numerical results are validated by comparisons to experimental data and offer significant insights into this regime of operation. Specifically, operation at 0.5-6 MW and 1.37 g/s shows incomplete hydrogen-propellant ionization that is dominated by electron-neutral collisions, which in turn increase the plasma voltage, but do not substantially increase thrust. Acceleration is of a hybrid nature, transitioning from primarily electrothermal to predominantly electromagnetic with increasing current level. Detailed interrogation of energy deposition shows significant deposition to internal modes, as opposed to external-circuit-element losses and electrode losses via fall voltage and thermal conduction, even at the higher power levels. These frozen-flow and radial-momentum losses can be reduced while the system still operates with minimum power penalty by proper expansion of the flow.
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U2 - 10.2514/1.9246
DO - 10.2514/1.9246
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:1842687205
SN - 0748-4658
VL - 20
SP - 204
EP - 210
JO - Journal of Propulsion and Power
JF - Journal of Propulsion and Power
IS - 2
ER -