A phenomenological performance model for applied-field MPD thrusters

Albertoni, Riccardo; Paganucci, Fabrizio; Andrenucci, Mariano

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.11.017

Cited by 23 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…3. The obtained CVCs correspond well with theoretical and experimental results [23], [28]. As it can be seen, the same currents are obtained at lower voltages in the case of hollow cathode.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…A number of theoretical studies were aimed at predicting dependencies of total thrust and working voltage on discharge current [22], [23]. Numerical simulations combined with theoretical analysis could become a powerful tool in optimization of thruster design, although great amounts of physical processes and external parameters that must be taken into account make it an uneasy task [24], [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2-D Extended Fluid Model of Applied-Field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster With Solid and Hollow Cathodes

Liu

Ning

et al. 2015

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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In this paper, a 2-D model for simulation of an applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic (AF-MPD) thruster with solid and hollow cathodes was built using COMSOL Multiphysics. Extended fluid model was used for self-consistent simulation of discharge processes in the thruster. Ion energy balance equation was developed and added to extended fluid model. A viscously dominated steady-state fully formed gas flow was considered with argon gas used as a propellant. Electron transport properties as well as rates of electron-impact reactions were calculated using electron energy distribution function. Plasmachemical reactions taken into account included direct and stepwise ionization of argon atoms, excitation of metastable levels, three-body and radiation recombination, and so on. Coupling fluid equations with Poisson equation for electric potential allowed for self-consistent description of plasma and sheaths.Distribution of such discharge parameters as charged and excited particle densities and fluxes, charged particles' mean energies and temperatures, and gas temperature and electric potential were obtained. Comparison of simulation results allowed for concluding that using hollow cathode in an AF-MPD thruster can contribute to power efficiency and lifetime of the device.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

2-D Extended Fluid Model of Applied-Field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster With Solid and Hollow Cathodes

Liu

Ning

et al. 2015

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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“…Of the existing thrust models in the literature, only two offer expressions for the AF component of the thrust in terms of controllable parameters such as the propellant species, mass flow rate, electrode geometry, AF strength, and current. 4,7 Each model includes a nondimensional free parameter with unknown dependencies. It is this free parameter that we hope to experimentally determine as accurately as possible, without any assumptions as to the nature of the gasdynamic and self-field thrust components, so that we can learn which controllable parameters it depends on.…”

Section: Thrust Model Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (AF-MPDT) is a high thrust-density electric propulsion device typically consisting of an annular anode surrounding a central cathode with a solenoid generating a magnetic field along the thrust axis. Many theoretical thrust models have been presented for the AF-MPDT, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] and while there is a general consensus that the thrust is proportional to both the current through the electrodes and the strength of the applied magnetic field, a complete model in terms of controllable parameters, such as the propellant type, mass flow rate, electrode geometry, applied-field strength, and thruster current, has yet to be agreed upon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where T AF is the applied-field thrust component, T is the total thrust, T SF is the self-field thrust component, and T GD is the gasdynamic thrust component. 2,[5][6][7] While this theoretically provides the AF thrust component, the magnitude of the error on the final value is undeterminable without individual measurements of T SF and T GD along with the corresponding error on each component. Tahara et al inferred values of each of the three components through the measurement of pressure, current, and magnetic field distributions within the thruster volume, 3 but this is still an indirect measurement of the force from each component with undeterminable error.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measurement of the Applied-Field Component of the Thrust of a Lithium Lorentz Force Accelerator

Coogan

Hepler

Choueiri³

2016

52nd AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference

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The operation of an inverted-pendulum thrust stand designed to directly measure the applied-field thrust component of a steady-state applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster is presented. This measurement, which is necessary for improving and validating thrust models, is achieved by mechanically isolating the solenoid from the thruster so that the solenoid can move independently. The deflection of the solenoid is compared to deflection by known forces to determine the applied-field thrust component. The thrust stand is found to be accurate to ±9 mN over a total range of 1200 mN. Two measurement methods are implemented to account for tare forces resulting from azimuthal currents to the thruster electrodes and are shown to agree with one another. As a proof-of-concept, the first direct measurements of the applied-field component of the thrust from a 30 kW lithium Lorentz force accelerator operating at 400 A, 8 mg/s lithium mass flow rate, and 0.056 T applied-field strength give a measured force of 108 ± 14 mN. This measurement agrees with the value predicted by measuring the total thrust and subtracting out all other thrust components. Nomenclature a 0 Ion sound speed, m/s A Area, m 2 B A Applied magnetic field, T J Current, A k Thrust coefficienṫ m Mass flow rate, kg/s p Pressure, N/m 2 r Electrode radius, m T Thrust, N Subscript ae Anode exit plane AF Applied-field c Cathode GD Gasdynamic SF Self-field

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A review of low-power applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster research and the development of an improved performance model

et al. 2023

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Numerous thrust and voltage models for applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters (AF-MPDTs) exist, however, all have been formulated using data for conventionally high current AF-MPDTs. To address a perceived gap in knowledge about smaller thrusters, a review of low-power applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster research and published thrust and voltage models is presented. Using available experimental data limited to a low-power high magnetic field strength regime, a database of pertinent physical and operational parameters is established and used in a comparative study to evaluate the accuracy of published performance models. Statistical analysis of the models was used to create a corrected low-power AF-MPDT performance model. When applied to the database, an improvement in model accuracy is achieved. It is found that AF-MPDTs in the low-power regime with high applied magnetic field strengths can present a feasible alternative to other electric propulsion methods. However, the resulting sensitivity of achievable performance to physical and operational parameters requires careful design and optimization for a given mission.

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A phenomenological performance model for applied-field MPD thrusters

Cited by 23 publications

References 33 publications

2-D Extended Fluid Model of Applied-Field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster With Solid and Hollow Cathodes

2-D Extended Fluid Model of Applied-Field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster With Solid and Hollow Cathodes

Measurement of the Applied-Field Component of the Thrust of a Lithium Lorentz Force Accelerator

A review of low-power applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster research and the development of an improved performance model

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