Simulation of Plasma Flows for Spacecraft Propulsion

Kamesh Sankaran

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory , Princeton University

Electromagnetic plasma propulsion systems offer significantly higher exhaust velocities than chemical propulsion systems, and process more power and produce higher thrust densities than space-charge limited electric propulsion systems. However, t he electrical power deposited into the plasma can be expended into many sinks other than that is useful for propulsion. Understanding and quantifying these disparate processes are essential to improving the efficiency of these devices. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of high-power experimental facilities that can reliably test these devices. This makes numerical simulations a valuable for plasma propulsion research. This talk will focus on the issues in developing a suitable simulation model for plasma thrusters, with special emphasis on the new code that promises to be applicable for a several types of thrusters. The computational challenges faced in this process, and potential solutions for these, will be highlighted.