Title :
Coupled molecular dynamics — One-dimensional PIC simulations of ionic liquid electrospray thrusters
Author :
Borner, Arnaud ; Levin, Dan
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Aerosp. Eng., Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA, USA
Abstract :
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to model an electrospray thruster for the ionic liquid (IL) EMIM-BF4 using a coarse-grained (CG) potential. A one-dimensional electric field was computed by the use of a Particle-In-Cell (PIC) solver and coupled to the MD program. The electrical extrusion of the IL was studied for different electric field strengths and mass flow rates. The MD simulations provide the first insight into the atomistic modeling of a capillary-tip-extractor system, the basic elements of an electrospray thruster. Current distributions and anion and cation behavior were characterized and compare reasonably well with measurements. Moreover, the role of inhomogeneities in the electric field as well as that of the IL space-charge most likely will improve agreement between modeling and experiment.
Keywords :
ion engines; molecular dynamics method; negative ions; positive ions; space charge; CG potential; IL EMIM-BF4; IL space-charge; MD simulation; PIC solver; anion behavior; atomistic modeling; capillary-tip-extractor system; cation behavior; coarse-grained potential; coupled molecular dynamics; electric field strength; electrical extrusion; ionic liquid EMIM-BF4; ionic liquid electrospray thrusters; mass flow rate; molecular dynamic simulation; one-dimensional PIC simulations; one-dimensional electric field; particle-in-cell solver; Computational modeling; Current measurement; Electric fields; Ions; Liquids; Mathematical model; Voltage measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Pulsed Power Conference (PPC), 2013 19th IEEE
Conference_Location :
San Francisco, CA
DOI :
10.1109/PPC.2013.6627579