Impact of Excitation and Reaction Processes on FRC Thruster Efficiency

Abstract

The paper focuses on numerical simulation of neutral entrainment in a Field Reversed Configuration thruster with a neon propellant. A fully kinetic approach based on a Particle-In-Cell method of modeling plasmas and the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method of modeling neutrals is applied. An implicit PIC code Celeste3D extended to compute neutral transport and collision processes between neutral and charged particles are used. The current collision model includes all key elastic, collisional radiative, and reaction processes in neon. Temporal evolution of gas and plasma macroparameters and thruster performance properties is presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA595839

Entities

People

  • Jean Luc Cambier
  • Jeremiah Brackbill
  • Natalia Gimelshein
  • Sergey F. Gimelshein

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Charged Particles
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Collisions
  • Distribution Functions
  • Efficiency
  • Electric Propulsion
  • Electrons
  • Entrainment
  • Exchange Reactions
  • Excitation
  • Gas Dynamics
  • Ionization
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Scattering
  • Thrusters
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Statistical inference.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster