Numerical Analysis of a Flow in an MPD Thruster Using One-Fluid Model

Abstract

A flow in an MPD thruster having a cone-cylinder cathode is analyzed. The magneto-hydrodynamic equations based on one-fluid model are solved using the MacCormack-FCT explicit finite difference scheme. In order to eliminate a constraint on extremely small time steps of integration originated from the low electric conductivity of plasma gas, a switch-over successive approximation technique is proposed to advance time long enough to observe interesting physical phenomena.