These plasma sources are used in studies of general plasma properties as well as space applications, such as in situ research utilization for. Coaxial ppts with varying sized electrodes were tested at background pressures ranging between 10 and 40 torr. Several novel observations and contributions were made during the critical analysis of the physical mechanisms of the pulsed plasma thruster. The design and testing of a small inductive pulsed plasma thruster ippt is described. Potential applications range from orbit insertion and maintenance of small satellites to attitude control for large geostationary communications satellites. Pulsed plasma thrusters ppts offer the combined benefits of extremely low average electric power requirements 1 to 150 w, high specific impulse s, and system simplicity derived from the use of an inert solid propellant. Using solid fuel, eliminates a significant amount of mass from the thruster design in terms of valves, piping, and tanking. A microdischarge plasma is generated in argon propellant gas. Boyd department of aerospace engineering, university of michigan, ann arbor mi 48109 in this work we consider several issues related to design of a micro pulsed plasma thruster mppt. Time average thrust and impulse bit repeatability test with constant frontal area of the teflon bar and constant igniter resistance 3. It is not specified whether the given engine is the sole means of propulsion or whether other types of.
Direct investigation of nearsurface plasma acceleration. Design and testing of a small inductive pulsed plasma thruster. I dont have a way to test the experiment in a vacuum, but im nearly positive that the. The device was built as a testbed for the pulsed gasvalves and solidstate switches required for a thruster of this kind, and was designed to be modular to facilitate modification. Pulsed plasma thrusters for atmospheric operation aiaa. Each pulse provides a small velocity increment to a spacecraft. Time average thrust data from the thruster with noninsulated igniter 23 4.
Pulsed plasma thrusters comprise a large class of electric space thrusters, using an electric discharge to accelerate solid, liquid, or gaseous propellant. Tsifakis, 1 space plasma, power and propulsion laboratory sp3 centre for plasmas and fluids, rspe, australian national university. Ablative ppts using solid propellants provide mission benefits through system simplicity and high specific impulse. Use of plasma pulse thrusters for deorbit on small satellites emily jenkins1 1department of engineering, anoka ramsey ommunity ollege introduction space debris is a growing concern for many1 and with the new trend of small satellites for educational and experimental purposes this problem may only get worse. Pdf preliminary study on discharge characteristics in a.
Spatial and temporal measurements of the electron density were made using a hene laser. If it can be found that adding a propulsion system can assist in reliably deor. Instead, most of the plasma acceleration process occurs very near to the propellant surface. Aisuppt1 micro pulsed plasma thruster applied ion systems. Langmuir probe measurements in the plume of a pulsed plasma thruster by lawrence thomas byrne a thesis submitted to the faculty of the worcester polytechnic institute in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science in mechanical engineering november 2002. List of spacecraft with electric propulsion wikipedia.
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. Analytical models of the discharge current suggest that close to critically damped current waveforms provide the best energy transfer ef. Development of a fiberfed pulsed plasma thruster for small satellites. The thruster achieved a thrusttopower ratio above 45. Pulsed plasma thrusters for small satellites surrey. An ablative pulsed plasma thruster with a segmented anode. Optimization issues for a micropulsed plasma thruster.
Plasmaenhancedso remediationinahumidifiedgasmatrix. Thruster pulsing so far all the analysis of rocket and thruster performance has assumed steady flow most space thrusters e. The pulsed plasma thruster ppt is one of the promising electric propulsion system, which has the following advantages. The cubesat ambipolar thruster cat is a new plasma propulsion system which will push small spacecraft like cubesats. However, scaling down this technology to fit inside pqs presents new challenges. The pulsed plasma thruster ppt is a promising technology for creating such miniaturised propulsion systems.
Pulsed thrust measurements using laser interferometry. In chronological order, spacecrafts are listed equipped with electric space propulsion. These systems exploit the natural properties of plasma to produce thrust and high velocities. 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. Ppts operate in a pulsed mode and typically use solid polytetra. Langmuir probe measurements in the plume of a pulsed. Multiple propellants busek has used hall effect thrusters to create plasmas composed of various elements propellants shown at right. The multiple pass machzehnder interferometer detects densities above ten to. Pulsed plasma thruster piezoigniter for small satellite. This is a pdf file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication.
Ablative pulsed plasma thruster system optimization for microsatellites. American institute of aeronautics and astronautics 12700 sunrise valley drive, suite 200 reston, va 201915807 703. 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. The proposal addressed the development of a novel discharge initiation di system for application in small satellites 40kg. Pdf ablative pulsed plasma thruster system optimization. Nw, which constitutes a 5fold improvement over the waterpropelled pulsed plasma thruster, and which is also slightly above the performance of a similarly sized ppt with a solid propellant. Time has passed since posting the video and ive learned allot about whats going on. The main discharge ablates and ionizes the surface portion of the solid propellant, creating a propellant plasma. Zeppelinmovaonanddesignfortesngof anatmosphericpulsedplasma thruster. Pic simulation of plasma properties in the discharge channel of a pulsed plasma thruster with flared electrodes 23 april 2019 plasma science and technology, vol. This thruster represents a radical and unique approach to electric propulsion systems for small satellite applications.
Halleffect thrusters based on the discovery by edwin hall are sometimes referred to as hall thrusters or hallcurrent thrusters. Use of liquid propellants in pulsed plasma thrusters for small satellites. Pulsed plasma thruster ppt projects mars space ltd. So6aqk ho6k h6aqk hso6aqkg 4 gl g 2 0 3 a hsobaqd hbaqd so baqd4 gg 3 3 2 b 2hso6aqk so 6aqk ho6k 3 4 g 25 l 2 c sobgd sobaqd 24 0 d so6gk ho6k h6aqk hso6aqkg 4 gl g 2 2 3 e once equilibrium is reached with these back reactions, the re.
But because of the large expansion ratio experienced, the bulk temperature of an icf debris plasma will fall below the ionization temperature from relatively early stages of expansion in the magnetic thrusters of currently proposed icf pulse rockets, and the design parameters of these thrusters. Pulsed plasma thruster how is pulsed plasma thruster. Development of a fiberfed pulsed plasma thruster for. A detailed plasma dynamics model coupled with the compressible navierstokes equations is used to study the. Performance scaling of gasfed pulsed plasma thrusters. Cu aerospace has developed a fiberfed pulsed plasma thruster fppt which consumes ptfe teflon propellant in spooled form, fed with extrusion 3d printer technology. Pulsed plasma thrusters are ideal for applications in small spacecraft for attitude. Use of plasma pulse thrusters for deorbit on small satellites.
An ablative pulsed plasma thruster with a segmented anode zhe zhang1, junxue ren1, haibin tang2,5, william yeong liang ling3,5 and thomas m york4,6 1school of astronautics, beihang university, beijing 100191, peoples republic of china 2school of space and environment, beihang university, beijing 100191, peoples republic of china 3school of aerospace engineering, beijing institute of. While the motivation for this work was measuring the performance of pulsed plasma thrusters, the resulting system and methods. Pptcup pulsed plasma thruster for cubesat propulsion is an ablative pulsed plasma thruster designed with the aim of providing translational and orbital control to cubesat platforms. Thruster the term came from the dictionary of spacecraft engineering. The inherent simplicity of the pulsed plasma thruster ppt, along with its ability to use ambient air as an insitu propellant, results in a thruster uniquely suited for these airships. Pulsed plasma thrusters burton major reference works.
This includes both cruise engines andor thrusters for attitude and orbit control. Review of thermal pulsed plasma thruster design, characterization, and application conference paper pdf available july 2015 with 1,217 reads how we measure reads. Phase i has successfully demonstrated the potential of the technology for reducing onboard propulsion system mass and volume compared to current di systems. Pdf there is increasing interest in small satellites weighing in the range of 100 kg or less. The halleffect thruster is classed as a moderate specific impulse 1,600 s space propulsion technology and has benefited from considerable theoretical and. A pulsed plasma thruster ppt, also known as a plasma jet engine, is a form of electric spacecraft propulsion. 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. Pulsed plasma thruster journal of propulsion and power.
Simulation studies of rf excited microcavity discharges. Schematic layout of a pulsed plasma thruster most ppts use a solid material normally ptfe, more commonly known as teflon for propellant, although very few use liquid or gaseous propellants. Small, safe, rugged pulsed plasma thruster with self. The performance scaling of gasfed pulsed plasma thrusters gfppts is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Results show a highly pulsed microdischarge with plasma densities of. The first stage in ppt operation involves an arc of electricity passing through the fuel, causing ablation and sublimation of the fuel. Pulsed plasma thrusters are ideal for applications in small spacecraft for attitude control, precision spacecraft control, and lowthrust maneuvers. Characterization of the micropulsed inductive thruster pit. Optimization issues for a micro pulsed plasma thruster michael keidar and iain d. Pulsed plasma thrusters ppts are longstanding, spacequalified electric propulsion thrusters of proven reliability, relatively simple and lowcost. Their compactness, robustness and scalability are increasingly appealing, as the space industry interest in small satellites grows all over the world. 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. 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. Efforts are under way for new designs of the next generation thruster.
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