Calculation of Characteristic Parameters of Solid Rocket Exhaust Plume Plasma

Abstract

To study the plasma distribution characteristics of a solid rocket exhaust plume, the exhaust plume is simulated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), then the temperature and pressure distribution are obtained. The distribution of plasma concentration is calculated by plasma concentration model. On the basis, the plasma characteristic parameters (including Debye radius, plasma frequency and plasma effective collision frequency) in the exhaust plume are solved and analyzed, afterward the variation of plasma characteristic parameters with the axis direction of the exhaust plume is obtained. The analysis shows that the plasma characteristics of exhaust plume are highly dependent on the temperature, only in the high temperature zone of the rocket plume, the exhaust plume has the properties of plasma.