Progress in electric propulsion numerical simulation

Abstract

Electric propulsion has been developed since the early 1960s, and its use onboard satellites, orbiting platforms, and interplanetary probes have increased significantly in the 21st century. The need for a detailed understanding of the working physics and a more accurate assessment of performance to create innovative designs has stimulated the development of several numerical simulation codes. The choice of method for modelling a specific thruster should be dictated by the physical characteristics of the flow in the device, and by the level of accuracy required from the simulation. There are various conditions in different types of thrusters. This means that different methods and computer codes must be developed for each of the different thrusters. The successful development of physically accurate numerical methods for simulating gas and plasma flows in electric propulsion thrusters can significantly improve the design process of these devices. In recent years, numerical simulations have increasingly benefited the basic understanding and engineering optimization of electric thrusters. This is due to several concurrent contributions: the evolution of computer hardware that has allowed the representation of multidimensional geometries and multiscale phenomena; implementation of sophisticated new algorithms and numerical diagnostic tools; and availability of new collisional and surface interaction data. There are two main directions for future work to continue to improve the numerical modelling of electric thrusters. First, the numerical methods themselves must be improved in terms of their physical accuracy and computational speed. The second main direction for improvement in the simulations involves more accurate determination of physical parameters that are required by the numerical formulations. This paper outlines efforts to develop models of various electrical propulsion concepts, from the first attempts in the early 90s to the latest sophisticated multidimensional simulations.