Simulation of 3-D Nonequilibrium Seeded Airflow in the NASA Ames MHD Channel

Abstract

The 3-D nonequilibrium seeded airflow in the NASA Ames experimental magnetohydrodynamics channel has been numerically simulated. The channel contains a nozzle section, a center section, and an accelerator section in which magnetic and electric fields can be imposed on the flow. In recent tests, velocity increases of up to 40% have been achieved in the accelerator section. The flow in the channel is numerically computed using a 3-D parabolized Navier-Stokes algorithm that has been developed to efficiently compute magnetohydrodynamics flows in the low magnetic Reynolds number regime. The magnetohydrodynamics effects are modeled by introducing source terms into the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations, which can then be solved in a very efficient manner. The algorithm has been extended in the present study to account for nonequilibrium seeded airflows. The electrical conductivity of the flow is determined using the program of Park. The new algorithm has been used to compute two test cases that match the experimental conditions. In both cases, magnetic and electric fields are applied to the seeded flow. The computed results are in good agreement with the experimental data.