A Theoretical Investigation of Laser-Sustained Plasma Thruster.
Abstract
A numerical code has been successfully developed for the investigation of thruster performance using a laser-sustained hydrogen plasma as the propellant. The plasma was sustained using a 10.6 micrometer CO2 laser beam which is focused at different positions within the thruster. The physical model assumed that plasma is in thermodynamically equilibrium (LTE), and geometric ray tracing was adopted to describe the laser beam. The steady-state, axisymmetric, Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the laser power absorption process have been solved numerically. A pressure based Navier-Stokes numerical solver using body-fitted coordinates was used to calculate the laser-supported rocket flow which includes both subsonic and supersonic flow regions. From the limited parametric study, which did not try to optimize the rocket performance, it was found that better performance was obtained when the laser beam was focused closer to the rocket throat.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 21, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA193765
Entities
People
- Dennis Keefer
- San-mou Jeng
Organizations
- University of Tennessee Space Institute