Numerical Simulation of Magnetic Plasma Temperature Field Based on Magnetohydrodynamics

Plasma, as the fourth state of matter, has been widely used in electric propulsion systems in recent years. In this paper, based on the magnetohydrodynamics, COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software and finite element analysis method were used to establish the Ar plasma simulation model under coaxial structure, and simulate the plasma plume temperature distribution under arc onset and steady state. By adjusting the external conditions such as excitation current, Ar flow rate, electrode structure, cathode work function and thermal conductivity, the influence mechanism of the above factors on the temperature field distribution of the plasma plume was explored. In this paper, it is found that during the arc initiation process, the arc channel is first generated between the anode and cathode, and the center temperature of the channel is above 6000 K at the beginning, and then gradually develops into a plasma plume like a jet, at which the plasma temperature can reach 10000K. In the steady-state study, it is found that the final plume temperature can reach more than 11000K. In addition, the excitation current, Ar flow rate, electrode structure, work function, thermal conductivity and other factors have different degrees of influence on the plasma plume temperature.