b) Electric and Advanced Propulsion
Numerical Simulation of a Microwave-Excited Microplasma Thruster
2009 Volume 7 Issue ists26 Pages Pb_135-Pb_140
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2009 Volume 7 Issue ists26 Pages Pb_135-Pb_140
Numerical analysis has been made for the plasma and flow properties in the microplasma source and micronozzle by developing a self-consistent numerical model, where a two-temperature fluid model was applied to the entire region through the plasma source to nozzle. Numerical results with 4-GHz microwaves and propellant gas of Ar 0.98 mg/s (33 sccm) revealed a spatially nonuniform distribution of plasma and flow parameters in the microplasma source: the absorbed power density, plasma density, and gas temperature were maximum at around the top of the microwave antenna, or near the inlet of the micronozzle, which is preferred for a thruster of electrothermal type using a converging-diverging nozzle.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN
