Edgar choueiri of the princeton university electric propulsion and plasma dynamics laboratory for extending an opportunity for me to. Chapter 4 ion thruster plasma generators ion thrusters are characterized by the electrostatic acceleration of ions extracted from a plasma generator. Combining equat ions 56 leads to the following equation for the potential distribution 7 where h is the distance between the electrodes see fig. Mission to design, test, and construct a propulsion system using a pulsed plasma thruster. As a working example we consider a microppt developed at the air force research laboratory. This technology was implemented as a lowpower prototype in 2007 to ascertain if durability and performance improvements over comparable hall thruster designs could be provided by the distinct magnetic topologies inherent to these devices.
This is a miniaturized design of the axisymmetric ppt with a thrust in the 10 n range that utilizes teflon tm as a propellant. The problem reduces to solving the equation for the potential. This breakdown and build of a simple plasma thruster should help you on your way. Design of a microwaveinitiated pulsed plasma thruster mippt v list of symbols mfuel total mass of fuel z axial distance mtotal total mass of fuel, structures, and payload. The study of plasmamaterial interactions pmi is fundamental to improving the performance and lifetime of many electric propulsion ep devices. A model of the plasma generation in a microppt was described elsewhere refs 810, 14. Force line plasma stream ionization zone debye layer stationary plasma thruster these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. The thruster s igniter, mounted close to the propellant, produces a spark that allows a discharge of the esu between the electrodes to create a plasma. Pdf one of the newest electric propulsion system in the field of pulsed plasma thrusters ppt at the institute of space systems irs at. Pulsed plasma thrusters ppt are of particular interest for space exploration and exploita tion since they essentially combine the advantage of continuously. Mathematical modeling of liquidfed pulsed plasma thruster mdpi. Ppts are capable of micronewtonsecond ns impulsebit precision spacecraft control. The nitrogen is pumped through a quartz tube wrapped in a coiled antenna and.
Jan 07, 2009 well, the propulsion system can be a bit tricky, especially if you plan on using plasma drives. Target of this research program are applications in the range of 50 w power. In this type of system, a stream of electrons bombards a fuel such as xenon gas, generating a. A micro pulsed plasma thruster ppt for the dawgstar. While hall, ion, and pulsed thrusters have already been tested and currently. Ppts are generally considered the simplest form of electric spacecraft propulsion and were the first form of electric propulsion to be flown in space, having flown on two soviet probes zond 2 and zond 3 starting in 1964. Design of a highenergy, twostage pulsed plasma thruster. Produced by the southampton based company mars space ltd the unit is claimed to be capable of generating up to 44 newtonssecond of thrust.
Modeling of the plasma jet of a stationary plasma thruster. Pulsed plasma thrusters nasa facts national aeronautics and space administration glenn research center cleveland, ohio 4453191 fs200411023grc introduction pulsed plasma thrusters ppts are highspecificimpulse, lowpower electric thrusters. This electric propulsion technology, also called hall effect or stationary plasma thrusters, offers a significant weight reduction compared with traditional chemical propulsion systems. Pavarina a cisas university of padua via venezia 15 351 padova italy b georgia tech univerity atlanta, ga c txcorp boulder colorado usa. Ppt is defined as pulsed plasma thruster very frequently. Thrust efficiency optimization of the pulsed plasma. Pulsed plasma thruster ppt systems are completely self contained propulsion modules, each containing its own thruster, propellant, propellant feed, and power processing. Pulsed plasma thruster how is pulsed plasma thruster. The thrusters igniter, mounted close to the propellant, produces a spark that allows a discharge of the esu between the electrodes to create a plasma. Pmi processes such as ioninduced sputtering, sputter erosion, plasma contamination, and secondary electron emission see have a direct impact on important thruster parameters. A plasma space propulsion thruster has been designed. Plasmabased propulsion is becoming the baseline solution for satellite stationing and attitudeorbit control.
Ablative ppts using solid propellants provide mission benefits through system simplicity and high specific. Pulsed plasma thrusters for atmospheric operation aiaa. Theres this blue column of plasma which is shooting out from the plasma source. A plasma propulsion engine is a type of electric propulsion that generates thrust from a quasineutral plasma. The event was organized by the uk space agency uksa.
He inductive pulsed plasma thruster ippt is a class of electric thruster in which energy stored in a capacitor is rapidly discharged through a coil, inducing magnetic fields that drive currents in a plasma and accelerate it to produce thrust1. Conventional snowplow1d models assume the existence of single completely ionized plasma sheet in the discharge chamber of pulsed plasma thrusters ppts. The principle is to combine hall thrusters that vary in sizes and. The pulsed plasma thruster ppt is a promising technology for creating such miniaturised propulsion systems. Pulsed plasma thrusters buseks micropulsed plasma thrusters. This breakdown and build of a simple plasma thruster. Thruster pulsing so far all the analysis of rocket and thruster performance has assumed steady flow most space thrusters e. The minihelicon plasma thruster is the first of these nonchemical technologies to use nitrogen as its fuel source. Ion and hall thrusters march 2008 the research described in this publication was carried out at the jet propulsion laboratory, california institute of technology, under a contract with the national aeronautics and space administration. Oct 11, 2017 also we will include an 11 x 14 framed signed color photo of our plasma butterfly galaxy image, a custom made mounted scale model mockup of our plasma jet thruster with a commemorative plaque. In this paper we briefly outline this model as shown schematically in fig. Optimization issues for a micropulsed plasma thruster. Cuspedfield plasma thrusters are an electric propulsion concept being investigated by several laboratories in the united states and europe.
Pulsed plasma thrusters for small satellites surrey. Lovberg university of california san diego, california 92037 summary the pulsed inductive thruster pit is an electrodeless, magnetic rocket engine that can operate with any gaseous propellant. Pulsed plasma thrusters ppts are highspecificimpulse, lowpower electric thrusters. Pulsed plasma thrusters are ideal for applications in small spacecraft for attitude control, precision spacecraft control, and lowthrust maneuvers. Also we will include an 11 x 14 framed signed color photo of our plasma butterfly galaxy image, a custom made mounted scale model mockup of our plasma jet thruster with a commemorative plaque. The universe is made up of plasma, which is easily influenced by magnetic fields and forces, leading to complex behavior. The ppt employs solid teflon propellant and requires only 28v power input, analog. The study of plasma material interactions pmi is fundamental to improving the performance and lifetime of many electric propulsion ep devices. Thruster the term came from the dictionary of spacecraft engineering.
The second area is the design, development, manufacture and evaluation of the pulsed plasma thruster for use on a nanosatellite platform known as the cubesat. Mini plasma thruster way better than rockets wired. Nasas nearterm and long term deep space interferometry propulsion requirements 2, 3. We report on development and testing of a prototype lpt. The model accurately calculates the position of the plasma and neutral mass sheets, mean exit velocity, thrust delivered and the mass of individual plasma sheet developed in ppts. The laser plasma thruster lpt is a new microthruster for small satellites. A fluid model is used since the plasma density near the propellant face is large in the order of 10231024 m3, refs. The present work is motivated by the desire to improve the performance of pulsed electromagnetic accelerators in the context of plasma propulsion. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service.
Design of a microwaveinitiated pulsed plasma thruster mippt ii acknowledgements i would like to extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the following people and departments. Design of a microwaveinitiated pulsed plasma thruster mippt. The manual is organized to present application requirements, equip. Pulsed plasma thrusters nonequilibrium gas and plasma. Pulsed plasma propulsion systemspacecraft design guide. Pulsed plasma thrusters ppts came into existence more than five. Pulsed plasma thrusters pfts offer the combined benefits of extremely low average electric power requirements 1 to 150 w, high specific impulse lo00 s, and system simplicity derived from the use of an inert solid propellant. Well, the propulsion system can be a bit tricky, especially if you plan on using plasma drives.
American institute of aeronautics and astronautics 12700 sunrise valley drive, suite 200 reston, va 201915807 703. In this type of system, a stream of electrons bombards a fuel such as xenon gas. Multiple plasma stream electromechanical model for. Several novel observations and contributions were made during the critical analysis of the physical mechanisms of the pulsed plasma thruster. Each unit contains all the necessary electronics ppudciu, requiring only power and command input from the. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. However, scaling down this technology to fit inside pqs presents new challenges. Ppt features combine to offer a favorable solution to. Pdf the pulsed plasma thruster simplex is developed at irs in order to serve as main propulsion. One of the more famous embodiments of this class is the large pulsed inductive thruster pit2. The thruster was modeled after an original diverging cusped field thruster dcft developed at mits space propulsion laboratory.
So the plasma s created here then moves into space. A cm diameter hughes xips thruster with an isp of 2585 s, overall efficiency of 51. Mar 20, 2018 pulsed plasma thrusters use the same stuff thats on your frying pan to make spacecraft zoom around the universe. Ion thruster geometries are best described in terms of three basic components. Thrust efficiency optimization of the pulsed plasma thruster. An innovative cubesat pulsed plasma thruster ppt was shown at the uk cubesat community workshop attended by amsatuk. The model accounts for the secondary plasma sheets generated due to the crowbar breakdowns as well as the neutral gas generated after the main discharge.
A model of the near field plasma plume of a pulsed plasma thruster ppt is developed. Plasma chemical and aerodynamical aspects yoshinori takao, takeshi takahashi, koji eriguchi, and kouichi ono department of aeronautics and astronautics, graduate school of engineering, kyoto university, yoshidahonmachi, sakyoku, kyoto 6068501, japan. The ion distribution at exhaust is an input parameter of the plume model. Plasma jet electric thrusters for spacecraft by chris. Ppts are generally flown on spacecraft with a surplus of. Plasmas are found throughout the solar system in places such as the. Ppts have been in development since 2002 based upon technology originally developed at afrl. Plus a guided tour of our laboratory, discussion of our plasma jet research and the potential of plasma jet thrusters in space propulsion. A pulsed plasma thruster ppt, also known as a plasma jet engine, is a form of electric spacecraft propulsion. This is in contrast to ion thruster engines, which generate thrust through extracting an ion current from the plasma source, which is then accelerated to high velocities using gridsanodes.
Uses a static electric field to accelerate a plasma. We introduce the research and development of ppts at osaka institute of technology. Perspectives, frontiers, and new horizons for plasmabased space. Plasma based propulsion is becoming the baseline solution for satellite stationing and attitudeorbit control. Pulsed plasma thruster propulsion system final presentation may 4, 2006 balloonsatmissions to the edge of space team masa eric solanyk chandra kunapuli kelly loving jason farmer nicholas mosely. Static magnetic field are sometimes used to help confine the plasma, but they are not used for acceleration. Hall effect thrusters also called stationary plasma thrusters spt combine a strong. The ppt is primarily designed for long duration satellite missions for attitude control as. The ppt is primarily designed for long duration satellite missions for attitude control as well as interplanetary and deep space missions.
Pulsed plasma thrusters are ideal for applications in small spacecraft for attitude. The shape of both thrusters electrode endings was selected on the basis of previous test campaigns 8, 3 for the sake of maximization of change in inductance. However, extensive experimental analysis and observations suggest the presence of multiple plasma streams and. This is summary of gasfed pulsed plasma thruster gfppt work from the late. The main discharge ablates and ionizes the surface portion of the solid propellant, creating a propellant plasma. Pulsed plasma thrusters use the same stuff thats on your frying pan to make spacecraft zoom around the universe. Combining the above factors, the required number of thrusting hours. On the road to creating an electrodeless spacecraft. A plasma propulsion engine is a type of electric propulsion that generates thrust from a. Pdf development of a new pulsed plasma thruster and a brief. The aim of this article is the development of a fast and reliable twodimensional2d. From a structural point of view add simplex is a parallel plate ablative pulsed plasma thruster based on two copper electrodes separated by a 10.
It is classified as a cusped field thruster cft, which refers to the geometry of the magnetic field that influences the flow of electrons and ions. Pulsed plasma thrusters for space propulsion and ndustrial. A pulsed plasma thruster ppt is a type of electromagnetic propulsion system which uses plasma as the working fluid to electromagnetically accelerate the fluid to high exhaust velocities. Pulsed inductive thrusters pit also use the lorentz force to generate thrust, but unlike the. Design of a microwaveinitiated pulsed plasma thruster. These simple units feature no moving parts and nontoxic teflon propellant. Design and testing of a small inductive pulsed plasma thruster. Jun, 2017 the universe is made up of plasma, which is easily influenced by magnetic fields and forces, leading to complex behavior. It is used for propulsion and attitude control of spaceships at zero gravity various types of thruster are used in spaceships, such as reaction wheel thruster, torque load thruster, chemical thruster and also pulsed plasma thruster. Ion thruster the smallest ion thrusters available are the 10 cm diameter british dera t5 and the dasa rita thruster. Evaluation of alternate propellants for pulsed plasma thrusters.
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