One Dimensional Study of Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters for a Potential New Class of Heavy Ion Drivers for Plasma Jet Driven Magnetoinertial Fusion

Abstract

Plasma Jet Driven Magnetoinertial Fusion (PJMIF) requires high velocity heavy ion drivers in order to compress a magnetized target to fusion conditions. Previous work with heavy ion drivers has revealed sub-par accelerations due to plasma instabilities; thus, it is necessary to investigate new methods of heavy ion plasma acceleration. One such method is Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters. Past studies of these thrusters have been conducted at an initial temperature at or below the energy of full ionization. Here MPD thrusters are investigated using a Godunov type MHD solver with an Harten-Lax van Leer-D (HLLD) flux solving scheme assuming the plasma is injected into the MPD thruster fully ionized.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 17, 2021
Accession Number
AD1144042

Entities

People

  • Patrick M. Brown

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluids
  • Geometry
  • Governments
  • Ionization
  • Lorentz Force
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters
  • Measurement
  • Plasma Accelerators
  • Plasma Jets
  • Thrusters
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster