A two-dimensional radial-axial hybrid simulation of the xenon-fueled Stanford Hall Thruster has been adapted to model a bismuth-fed thruster with varying channel geometry. The simulation treats the electrons as a quasi-one-dimensional fluid and the neutrals and ions as discrete superparticles advanced using a particle-in-cell (PIC) approach. Since experimental data of the electron cross-field m...

The atmosphere of Mars has many of the ingredients that can be used to support human exploration missions. It can be "mined" and processed to produce oxygen, buffer gas, and water, resulting in significant savings on mission costs. The use of local materials, called ISRU (for in-situ resource utilization), is clearly an essential strategy for a long-term human presence on Mars from the standpoi...

A time-resolved numerical analysis of combustion dynamics of double-base homogenous solid propellant in a rocket motor is performed by means of a Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) technique. The physiochemical processes occurring in the flame zone and their influence on the unsteady flow evolution in the chamber are investigated in depth. A five-step reduced reaction mechanism is used to obtain the t...

A correlation equation for the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of the aerosol emitted by solution metered dose inhalers (MDIs) is presented. A content equivalent diameter is defined and used to describe aerosols generated by evaporating metered dose inhaler sprays. A large set of cascade impaction data is analyzed, and the MMAD and geometric standard deviation is calculated for each dat...

A case is made for the existence of permeability of current sheets in electromagnetic pulsed plasma thrusters. Permeability refers to the leakage of plasma or neutral particles behind the sheet and could cause a significant effect on the performance of the thruster. Analytical calculations are presented which demonstrate the mismatch between experimental velocity profiles and theoretical snowpl...

This review paper reports various concepts of the gun propulsion system to meet the goal of the futuristic hypervelocity projectiles. The nonconventional concepts, such as liquid gun propellant, rail gun, coil gun, electrothermal gun, electrothermal chemical gun along with conventional energetic solid gun propellant have been discussed. Even though muzzle velocity around 2000 m/s has been claim...

We describe our parallel 3-D surface and volume mesh modification strategy for large-scale simulation of physical systems with dynamically changing domain boundaries. Key components include an accurate, robust, and efficient surface propagation scheme, frequent mesh smoothing without topology changes, infrequent remeshing at regular intervals or when triggered by declining mesh quality, a novel...

We describe our parallel 3-D surface and volume mesh modification strategy for large-scale simulation of physical systems with dynamically changing domain boundaries. Key components include an accurate, robust, and efficient surface propagation scheme, frequent mesh smoothing without topology changes, infrequent remeshing at regular intervals or when triggered by declining mesh quality, a novel...