A Zero Dimensional Model of High-Pressure Ablative Capillary Discharge With Capillary Wall Thermal Conduction and Radiation Absorption

Abstract

b capillary discharge model with capillary wall thermal conduction and radiation absorption is presented. The model includes a resistorinductorcapacitor circuit and a heattr ansfer radiation model based on a radiation database constructed using PrismSPEC, a commercially available radiation software, to calculate the radiation heat flux output from a uniform plasma slab. The model also includes a model of the thin transition boundary layer between the uniform plasma core and the ablative capillary walls. This transition boundary layer model is used to obtain the boundary conditions connecting the plasma core parameters with the parameters at the ablative surface to calculate the thermal and radiation heat fluxes at the capillary walls. The radiation wall absorption coefficient and the wall thermal conductivity are assumed to be constants independent of wavelength and wall temperature. Thus, the model selfconsistently calculates plasma parameters and distribution of wall temperature vs. time. The model can be used to model highpressure ablative capillary d ischarge for plasma thrusters.