• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.101-105
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• 2006

The computational fluid dynamic analysis has been conducted for the thermo-chemical flow field in an arcjet thruster with mono-propellant Hydrazine (N2H4) as a working fluid. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are modified to analyze compressible flows with the thermal radiation and electric field. The Maxwell equation, which is loosely coupled with the fluid dynamic equations through the Ohm heating and Lorentz forces, is adopted to analyze the electric field induced by the electric arc. The chemical reactions of Hydrazine were assumed to be infinitely fast due to the high temperature field inside the arcjet thruster. The chemical and the thermal radiation models for the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture and optically thick media respectively, were incorporated with the fluid dynamic equations. The results show that performance indices of the arcjet thruster with 1kW arc heating are improved by amount of 180% in thrust and 200% in specific impulse more than frozen flow. In addition to thermo-physical process inside the arcjet thruster is understood from the flow field results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2004.03a
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• pp.257-261
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• 2004

Computational fluid dynamics analysis was carried out for thermo-chemical flow field in Arcjet thruster with mono-propellant Hydrazine ($N_2$H$_4$) as a working fluid. The theoretical formulation is based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations for compressible flows with thermal radiation. The electric potential field governed by Maxwell equation is loosely coupled with the fluid dynamics equations through the Ohm heating and Lorentz force. Chemical reactions were assumed being infinitely fast due to the high temperature field inside the arcjet thruster. An equilibrium chemistry module for nitrogen-hydrogen mixture and a thermal radiation module for optically thin media were incorporated with the fluid dynamics code. Thermo-physical process inside the arcjet thruster was understood from the flow field results and the performance prediction shows that the thrust force is increased by amount of 3 times with 0.6KW arc heating.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2004.03a
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• pp.611-616
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• 2004

In this study, microfabrication of a micro-arcjet nozzle with Fifth-harmonic generation Nd：YAG pulses (wavelength 213 nm) and its thrust performance tests were conducted. A micro-arcjet nozzle was machined in a 1.2 mm thick quartz plate. Sizes of the nozzle were 0.44 mm in width of the nozzle exit and constrictor diameter of 0.1 mm. For an anode, a thin film of Au (~100 nm thick) was deposited by DC discharge PVD in vacuum on divergent part of the nozzle. As for a cathode, an Au film was also coated on inner wall surface. In operational tests, a stable discharge was observed for mass flow of 1.0mg/sec, discharge current of 6 ㎃, discharge voltage of 600 V, or 3.6 W input power (specific power of 3.6 MW/kg). In this case, plenum pressure of the discharge chamber was 80 ㎪. With 3.6 W input power, thrust obtained was 1.4 mN giving specific impulse of 138 sec with thrust efficiency of 24 %.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.907-915
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• 2008

The computational fluid dynamic analysis has been conducted for the thermo-chemical flow field in an arcjet thruster with mono-propellant Hydrazine (N2H4) as a working fluid. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are modified to analyze compressible flows with the thermal radiation and electric field. the Maxwell equation, which is loosely coupled with the fluid dynamic equations through the Ohm heating and Lorentz forces, is adopted to analyze the electric field induced by the electric arc. The chemical reactions of Hydrazine were assumed to be infinitely fast due to the high temperature field inside the arcjet thruster. The chemical and the thermal radiation models for the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture and optical thick media respectively, were incorporated with the fluid dynamic equations. The results show that performance indices of the arcjet thruster with 1kW arc heating are improved by amount of 180% in thrust and 200% in specific impulse more than frozen flow. In addition thermo-physical process inside the arcjet thruster is understood from the flow field results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.132-135
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• 2005

The computational fluid dynamic analysis has been conducted for the thermo-chemical flow field in an arcjet thruster with mono-propellant hydrazine $(N_2H_4)$ as a working fluid. Coupled Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and Maxwell equations were used to account for the Ohm heating and Lorentz forces. ionization and thermal radiation effects were also incorporated to the fluid dynamic equations by assuming infinitely-fast reactions and optically thick media. In addition to the thermo-physical understandings of the flow field inside the arcjet thruster, results shows that performance indices are improved by amount of 20% in thrust and 70% in specific impulse with the 0.6kW are heating.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2004.03a
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• pp.327-334
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• 2004

Spectroscopic and electrostatic probe measurements were made to examine plasma characteristics with or without a metal plate for a 10-㎾-class direct-current arcjet Heat fluxes into the plate from the plasma were also evaluated with a Nickel slug and thermocouple arrangement. Ammonia and mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen were used. The NH$_3$ and $N_2$+3H$_2$ plasmas in the nozzle and in the downstream plume without a plate were in thermodynamical nonequilibrium states. As a result, the H-atom electronic excitation temperature and the $N_2$ molecule-rotational excitation temperature intensively decreased downstream in the nozzle although the NH molecule-rotational excitation temperature did not show an axial decrease. Each temperature was kept in a small range in the plume without a plate except for the NH rotational temperature for NH$_3$ gas. On the other hand, as approaching the plate, the thermodynamical nonequilibrium plasma came to be a temperature-equilibrium one because the plasma flow tended to stagnate in front of the plate. The electron temperature had a small radial variation near the plate. Both the electron number density and the heat flux decreased radially outward, and an increase in H$_2$ mole fraction raised them at a constant radial position. In cases with NH$_3$ and $N_2$+3H$_2$ a large number of NH radical with a radially wide distribution was considered to cause a large amount of energy loss, i.e., frozen flow loss, for arcjet thrusters.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• v.y2005m4
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• pp.35-38
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• 2005

The computational fluid dynamic analysis has been conducted for the thermo-chemical flow field in an arcjet thruster with mono-propellant hydrazine ($N_{2}H_4$) as a working fluid. Coupled Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and Maxwell equations were used to account for the Ohm heating and Lorentz forces. Hydrazine chemistry and thermal radiation were also incorporated to the fluid dynamic equations by assuming infinitely-fast reactions and optically thick media. In addition to the thermo-physical understandings of the flow field inside the arcjet thruster, results shows that performance indices are improved by amount of $20\%$ in thrust and $200\%$ in specific impulse with the 0.6kW are heating.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.570-573
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• 2008

In spite of many experimental studies of low-power applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic(AFMPD) thrusters, thrust efficiencies of the past thrusters are very low. Hence, drastic improvement in thrust performance is required for AF-MPD thrusters to compete against other types of electric propulsion in a moderate power regime around 10 kW. For the optimization of AF-MPD thrusters, a numerical code for the flowfield simulation is now under development. A preliminary result shows that the code can deal with a complicated mixture of the induced and applied magnetic fields, which will lead to a combination of the self-field, swirl, Hall, as well as electrothermal accelerations.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.32A no.2
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• pp.31-37
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• 1995

A ray-based approach is developed to calculate the scattering from inhomogeneous dielectric objects. This approach is a natural extension of the "shooting and bouncing ray(SBR)" technique developed earlier for calculating the radar cross section of cavity structures and complex targets. In this formulation, a dense grid of rays representing the incident field is shot toward the scatterer. The curved trajectory, amplitude, phase and polarization of the ray fields inside the inhomogeneous object are computed numerically based on the laws of geometrical optics. The contributions of the exting rays to the exterior scattered field are then calculated by using the equivalence principle in conjunction with " a ray-tube integration" scheme. The ray-based approach is applied for the effect of an arcjet plasma plume on satellite reflector performance and backscattering from inhomogeneous objects.