Abstract
A fundamental upper limit,, for the thrust efficiency of self-field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters (MPDTs) is derived from the generalized Ohm’s law and the minimization of the volume integral of the square of the current density, which controls dissipation in the MPDT. It is found that, where is the MPDT scaling number (the total current normalized by the current at which an equipartition of power occurs between thrust and ionization), and is the magnetic Reynolds number evaluated at.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 29 |
| Journal | Journal of Electric Propulsion |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2026 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Aerospace Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
Keywords
- Efficiency
- Electric propulsion
- MPDT
- Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster
- Self-field
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