A three-dimensional numerical study on the effect of geometric asymmetry on arcjet thruster performance

Hari Prasad NANDYALA; Amit KUMAR; Jayachandran THANKAPPAN

doi:10.1088/2058-6272/acac63

Plasma Science and Technology > 2023 > 25(5): 055503. > DOI: 10.1088/2058-6272/acac63

Hari Prasad NANDYALA, Amit KUMAR, Jayachandran THANKAPPAN. A three-dimensional numerical study on the effect of geometric asymmetry on arcjet thruster performance[J]. Plasma Science and Technology, 2023, 25(5): 055503. DOI: 10.1088/2058-6272/acac63

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A three-dimensional numerical study on the effect of geometric asymmetry on arcjet thruster performance

Department of Aerospace Engg, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India

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Corresponding author:
Amit KUMAR，E-mail: amitk@ae.iitm.ac.in
Received Date: September 04, 2022
Revised Date: November 12, 2022
Accepted Date: December 15, 2022
Available Online: December 05, 2023
Published Date: February 21, 2023

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Abstract

Abstract

In an arcjet thruster, the cathode and constrictor degrade with time, and the electrical arc discharge may become unsymmetrical. In this work, a three-dimensional numerical model of a hydrogen plasma arcjet is developed and validated to study the effect of unsymmetrical electric arc discharge on thruster performance. The unsymmetrical arc discharge is realized by introducing a radial shift of the cathode so that the cathode tip offset is 80 μm (25% of the constrictor radius). Simulations are conducted for both axially centered cathode (coaxial) and off-centered cathode (non-coaxial) configurations with identical propellant flow rates and input current. Simulations show asymmetrical arc discharge in the non-coaxial cathode configuration, resulting in azimuthally asymmetric Joule heating, species concentrations, and velocity field. This asymmetry continues as the plasma expands in the divergent section of the nozzle. Temperature, species concentrations, and axial velocity exhibit asymmetric radial distribution at the nozzle exit. The computed Joule heating was found to reduce with cathode shift, and consequently, the thrust and specific impulse of the thruster was decreased by about 6.6%. In the case of the non-coaxial cathode, geometric asymmetry also induces a small side thrust.
- arcjet,
- geometric asymmetry,
- 3D numerical modelling,
- space electric propulsion,
- hydrogen

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks is extended to Shri Pedda Peraiah C, who assisted in the development of the three-dimensional code and its parallelization. The authors would like to thank the Indian Space Research Organization (VSSC-ISRO) for funding this research through ISRO-ⅡTM Cell.

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