A thermo-fluidic model for a low power xenon resistojet

Abstract

A next generation high performance xenon resistojet delivering specific impulse above 90s would be of significant benefit to both small and newer all-electric spacecraft. Such performance would require a xenon propellant temperature of > 3000 K for gas dynamic expansion. Operation at such extreme temperatures and power densities requires a detailed understanding of numerous physical processes in order to converge on a workable design. The highly interdependent nature of these processes, such as resistive dissipation, heat transfer, fluid dynamics and material stress, means that studying each of them discreetly only provides limited insight. This paper thus presents a validated coupled multiphysics model of the conventional SSTL-T50 thruster. The paper shows the preliminary results of a model for the T-50 nozzle and implements the compressible Navier-Stokes equation coupled with conductive, radiative and convective heat transfer in both solid and fluid. The CFD multiphysics model is coupled with an optimization solver, in order to converge on experimental data for the thruster. The calculated results of this nozzle are presented as centerline variations of Mach number and static temperature, with an analysis of nozzle exit profiles of Mach number and including radiation loss from the nozzle.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Federico Romei: orcid.org/0000-0003-2283-4658

ORCID for Graham Roberts: orcid.org/0000-0003-2252-1248

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