Ionization and Charge Exchange Reactions in Neutral Entrainment of a Field Reversed Configuration Thruster
Jeremiah Brackbill, N. Gimelshein, Sergey Gimelshein, Jean-Luc Cambier, Andrew Ketsdever
2012
48th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit
unpublished
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... torate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. ABSTRACT Chemical reactions between ions and electrons of a translating, high velocity field reversed plasmoid, including charge exchange and electron impact ionization, are examined in an adiabatic heat bath relaxation. Importance of different reaction mechanisms is analyzed for conditions typical for FRC thrusters, with gas and plasma densities on the order of 10 18 molecule/m3, plasma temperatures between 5 and 50 eV, and relative velocities up to 30 km/s. Then, an implicit Particle-In-Cell code, Celeste3D, extended to include plasma-neutral and neutral-neutral elastic and inelastic processes and Coulomb collisions, is used to model a planar flow between an FRC plasmoid initially at a Schmid-Burgk equilibrium, and neutral gas with varying relative velocities, plasma temperatures, and neutral gas densities. The contribution of charge exchange and electron impact ionization reactions is analyzed, and the sensitivity of the entrainment efficiency to the plasmoid translation velocity and neutral density is evaluated. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON A. Ketsdever a. REPORT Unclassified b. ABSTRACT Unclassified c. THIS PAGE Unclassified SAR 11 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (include area code) N/A Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Chemical reactions between ions and electrons of a translating, high velocity field reversed plasmoid, including charge exchange and electron impact ionization, are examined in an adiabatic heat bath relaxation. Importance of different reaction mechanisms is analyzed for conditions typical for FRC thrusters, with gas and plasma densities on the order of 10 18 molecule/m 3 , plasma temperatures between 5 and 50 eV, and relative velocities up to 30 km/s. Then, an implicit Particle-In-Cell code, Celeste3D, extended to include plasma-neutral and neutral-neutral elastic and inelastic processes and Coulomb collisions, is used to model a planar flow between an FRC plasmoid initially at a Schmid-Burgk equilibrium, and neutral gas with varying relative velocities, plasma temperatures, and neutral gas densities. The contribution of charge exchange and electron impact ionization reactions is analyzed, and the sensitivity of the entrainment efficiency to the plasmoid translation velocity and neutral density is evaluated.
doi:10.2514/6.2012-4102
fatcat:4z3cit47ozactaa3pvhqh7aipu