High-Performance Computation of Magnetohydrodynamics Flows in Coaxial Channels of Plasma Accelerators

The article is devoted to mathematical modeling and numerical studies of accelerating flows of dense hot plasma in coaxial high-thrust plasma thruster channels, which can be used for the propulsion of large spacecrafts in outer space. Plasma is considered a continuous electrically conducting medium, whose behavior is described by magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations in disregard for dissipative effects. The paper employs a two-dimensional axisymmetric mathematical model based on non-stationary ‘‘ideal’’ single-fluid MHD equations. This model has been implemented numerically using a program code, with one of the major results being the application of parallel programming techniques to increase computational speed. This parallel code has been verified through a series of simulations investigating the influence of channel geometry on axisymmetric accelerator plasma flow parameters in coaxial channels.