Processes in a magnetoplasma compressor

The present work examines theoretically and experimentally some aspects of the physical processes taking place in a magnetoplasma compressor. A two-fluid model of plasma flow in a channel is presented, and some data obtained in an experimental device are compared with theory. It is shown that a regular flow can be organized in a magnetoplasma compressor channel which is not accompanied by jumps near the electrodes and strong electrode corrosion. It is also shown that flow in the channel and compression region is stable, the compression region being maintained by the magnetic field of the external currents during steady regime.