Two-Dimensional Full-Fluid Moment Model for Low-Temperature Magnetized Plasmas

A two-dimensional full-fluid moment (2D FFM) model for plasma simulations is developed to study multidimensional effects in plasmas using the fluid description. The model simulates ions and electrons as fluids, accounting for inertial effects for both, and solves the Poisson equation to self-consistently evaluate the potential and electric field. The governing equations (conservation of mass, momentum and energy) are derived by taking the moments of the Boltzmann equation. A global Lax flux-vector splitting scheme with MUSCL reconstruction is used to solve the fluid equations, and kinetic fluxes are utilized for boundary conditions, connecting the fluid approach with kinetic theory. The model is an extension of a previously developed 1D FFM that was used to study inertial effects on electron transport in Hall-effect thrusters (HET). The model is tested in a 2D axial-azimuthal HET configuration and a 2D planar Penning type geometry, with the goal of investigating the instabilities inherent in cross-field plasma discharges.