An ablative pulsed plasma thruster with a segmented anode

Zhang, Zhe; Ren, Junxue; Tang, Haibin; Ling, William Yeong Liang; York, Thomas M.

doi:10.1088/1361-6595/aa9e6b

Cited by 32 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(38 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One of the most typical techniques used for thrust measurement involves the concept of the pendulum. In its simplest form, a pendulum thrust balance can be based on a hanging pendulum (Charles et al, 2016;Wong et al, 2012), an inverted pendulum (Haag, 1991;Kokal and Celik, 2017;Asakawa et al, 2020), or be a torsional balance (Ziemer, 2001;Zhou et al, 2013;Soni and Roy, 2013;Little and Jugroot, 2019;Tang et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2017). There are also more complicated implementations of this, such as the stand for vertically oriented thrust measurement system described in Moeller and Polzin (2010).…”

Section: Pendulum Displacement Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Submillinewton Thrust Measurements Between a Laser Interferometer and a Load Cell on a Pendulum Balance

Tsifakis

Charles

Boswell

2021

Front. Space Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reliable measurements of thrust from systems to be flown on satellites are essential to ensure repeatable maneuvering capability of small nanosatellites. Thrusters can be used to vary spacecraft orientation, detumbling, and orbit change. Tests have been conducted in a low-pressure vacuum system using a cold gas prototype thruster and two independently calibrated methods: a four-point pendulum with a laser interferometer displacement sensor and a load cell, both of which have measurement capabilities from tens of micronewtons to tens of millinewtons. The agreement is very good, lending confidence in both methods. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods will be discussed. They include absolute accuracy, low thrust accuracy, temporal resolution, simplicity of operation, cost, and sensitivity to vibrations generated by laboratory equipment such as pumps, fans, bumps, and human movement.

show abstract

Section: Pendulum Displacement Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Submillinewton Thrust Measurements Between a Laser Interferometer and a Load Cell on a Pendulum Balance

Tsifakis

Charles

Boswell

2021

Front. Space Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The multi-segmented anode is structurally similar to the segmented anode in [22]. However, the segmented anode was previously studied for its ability to increase APPT performance while the multi-segmented anode is used here for plasma propagation and direct current measurements, not for any performance enhancement purpose.…”

Section: Multi-segmented Anodementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This small difference means that the plasma in the discharge gap had similar properties and that the ablation process should be similar. However, the discharge arc's current density distribution will be different because as with a segmented anode, the multi-segmented anode will act to constrain the arc progression along the anode [22].…”

Section: Ppt Discharge Behavior With Normal and Multi-segmented Anodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Direct investigation of near-surface plasma acceleration in a pulsed plasma thruster using a segmented anode

Zhang¹,

Ren²,

Tang³

et al. 2018

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ablative pulsed plasma thruster (APPT) has been widely used on satellites due to its low electrical power requirements and structural simplicity. Recently, a segmented anode schematic has been proposed to increase the main discharge arc current density and the propellant mass ablation of APPTs while using the same input energy. In this work, a structurally similar multi-segmented anode was instead used for plasma measurements. The incentive behind the use of the multi-segmented anode was to measure the plasma propagation process and downstream current flow inside the discharge channel of the APPTs (volume between the electrodes). The multi-segmented anode divides the anode into multiple parts in order to directly measure and analyze the current flow for each anode segment as the APPT plasma moved downstream between the electrodes. This provided new information regarding the plasma propagation process between the electrodes. Local magnetic probe measurements were also conducted inside the APPT discharge channel. From the experimental results, distinct plasma progression towards the downstream direction was identified. The plasma reached a velocity of up to 25 km s−1 at only 5 mm from the propellant surface. In contrast, the downstream portion of the electrodes was found to contribute relatively little to the final velocity (an increase of ~16%). Furthermore, the base (1st) element of the multi-segmented anode (where the discharge arc is located) was found to carry over 5 times more current than downstream segments (which carry the maximum downstream plasma current). These results directly indicate that the downstream plasma carries relatively little current, thus resulting in a lower Lorentz force contribution and downstream acceleration. Instead, most of the plasma acceleration process occurs very near to the propellant surface.

show abstract

“…This assumption has been widely used in simulation studies that use methods such as the view factor method [13], two-dimensional axisymmetric simplification [14], the Abel inversion method [15], etc. At the same time, the axisymmetric plume assumption is also adopted in the plume diagnostics and divergence angle measurements of ion thrusters, Hall thrusters, and magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters [16][17][18]. This is largely due to the coaxial shape of their cylindrical discharge channels (the volume between electrodes where plasma is generated) and the quasi-neutral plasma conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time-resolved investigation of the asymmetric plasma plume in a pulsed plasma thruster

Zhang¹,

Zhang²,

Ling³

et al. 2020

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Electric propulsion (EP) has become one of the most promising options for the motion control of small satellites. The physics behind the ejected plasma plumes of EP thrusters has attracted significant interest due to their interactions with the critical components of satellites. Axisymmetric plume assumptions are widely used in simulations and plume diagnostics. However, we show here that the plasma plume of a parallel-plate pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) is asymmetrically distributed along the centerline of the electrodes, contrary to the inherent axisymmetric assumption. To study this asymmetric plume structure in depth, a triple Langmuir probe was used to obtain the electron density of a two-dimensional plume area over the operating period of a PPT. The electron density results show that the plasma forms an 'I' shape plume at 2 µs after the initial main discharge. However, over time, the plume appears to cant significantly towards the cathode. The physical mechanism behind the asymmetric plume structure is studied through inter-electrode magnetic probe measurements and plasma trajectory analyses. The successive magnetic profiles indicate that the plasma is accelerated by a non-symmetrical electromagnetic force between the electrodes, which results in the plasma exhausting out with an entirely asymmetric distribution shifted upwards towards the cathode. This was also verified using varying sets of discharge voltage experiments. This work also indicates that care must be taken in the selection of the measurement points in PPT plume diagnostics. The measurement points should be chosen above the centerline of the PPT exit as the plasma parameters along the centerline may not be the most energetic part as previously believed. Furthermore, the asymmetric acceleration component of the electromagnetic force between the electrodes can enlighten us in the design of electromagnetic field configurations for future discharge channel optimization.

show abstract

An ablative pulsed plasma thruster with a segmented anode

Cited by 32 publications

References 29 publications

Comparison of Submillinewton Thrust Measurements Between a Laser Interferometer and a Load Cell on a Pendulum Balance

Comparison of Submillinewton Thrust Measurements Between a Laser Interferometer and a Load Cell on a Pendulum Balance

Direct investigation of near-surface plasma acceleration in a pulsed plasma thruster using a segmented anode

Time-resolved investigation of the asymmetric plasma plume in a pulsed plasma thruster

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About