Transport Properties of High Temperature Plasmas in a Magnetic Field

摘要

Renewed interest in the calculation of transport coefficients stems from the need to have reliable data to be used for CFD modelling of high enthalpy flows of aerospace interest. The application of the MHD interaction concept, in particular, calls for a theoretical treatment that allows for the anisotropy introduced by the presence of the magnetic field. Calculations have been performed for accurate determination of transport coefficients of partially ionized Argon and Air in a magnetic field. The calculations employed the Chapman-Enskog method up to very high orders of approximation to calculate the tensorial transport coefficients of the plasma. The study considers the general case of ionization nonequilibrium in a wide temperature range under the action of an imposed magnetic field. The internal structure of the molecular species was considered in order to account for internal thermal conductivities. Representative results from this extensive set of calculations are reported and some recommendations for use in CFD modelling are drawn.