Performance prediction of fully three-dimensional solid-state propulsion systems by eigenvalue problem decomposition

A three-component plasma fluid model that considers the presence of electrons, positive ions, and negative ions consists of a nonlinear system of partial differential equations, incorporating numerous disparate time scales both spatially and temporally, and therefore, it is known to be challenging to solve. In this study, on the basis of the model, we develop an Anemone solver capable of numerically estimating the corona inception voltage and energy conversion efficiency in a three-dimensional solid-state electroaerodynamic propulsion system. In previous research, the discharge inception voltage and initial discharge region in the governing equations were obtained by solving a large-scale eigenvalue problem based on global stability analysis. However, in this study, we employ the method of characteristics to obtain the subproblem, transforming it into a large number of smaller-scale eigenvalue problems. Furthermore, we successfully converted these eigenvalue problems into integral equations, making them easier to handle. Finally, we validated the prediction results based on the theoretical results in a previous study.