Gas-Fed Pulsed Plasma Thrusters: Fundamentals, Characteristics and Scaling Laws

Choueiri, Edgar Y.

doi:10.21236/ada387454

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…15 International Journal of Aerospace Engineering Compared to MPD, the power requirement for PPT is lower (a few watts of power). Choueiri's research [74] indicates that the power ratio of PPT using N 2 is between tens of mN/kW, which is the maximum at low energy (158 J) and high mass (348 μg). If the propellant is sufficient, the thrust efficiency is not so important to the design, and the above thrust power ratio becomes the main design criterion.…”

Section: 23mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review of Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion Systems

Zheng

Zhang

et al. 2020

International Journal of Aerospace Engineering

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To develop the satellites for a low-Earth-orbit environment, atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) systems have become more attractive to researchers in the past decade. The system can use atmospheric molecules as the propellant to provide thrust compensation, which can extend the lifetime of spacecraft (S/C). This comprehensive review reviews the efforts of previous researchers to develop concepts for ABEP systems. Different kinds of space propulsion system are analysed to determine the suitable propulsion for atmosphere-breathing S/C. Further discussion about ABEP systems shows the characteristic of different thrusters. The main performance of the ABEP system of previous studies is summarized, which provides further research avenues in the future. Results show great potential for thrust compensation from atmospheric molecules. However, the current studies show various limitations and are difficult to apply to space. The development of ABEP needs to solve some problems, such as the intake efficiency, ionization power, and electrode corrosion.

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Section: 23mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review of Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion Systems

Zheng

Zhang

et al. 2020

International Journal of Aerospace Engineering

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“…However, all the flight-qualified PPTs have benefited from one solid propellant (PTFE) and other propellants have merely been experimented in laboratories. As a result of the fact that the present paper has intended to focus on ablative PPTs, therefore liquid propellant PPTs and gas-fed PPTs are not discussed here and they are extensively discussed elsewhere (Rezaeiha and Schö nherr, 2012;Choueiri et al, 2001).…”

Section: Propellant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the final analysis and based on the research presented above, nominal solid Teflon is the propellant of choice for ablative PPT so far and no alternative solid propellant with better performance has ever been investigated. As previously mentioned, because of the fact that we narrowed our research on ablative PPTs, other alternatives including liquid and gaseous propellants were excluded; although there have been numerous studies conducted on liquid and gas propellants as alternatives for Teflon which are reviewed elsewhere (Rezaeiha and Schö nherr, 2012;Choueiri et al, 2001), but none of them has ever been flight tested.…”

Section: Propellant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of effective parameters on ablative PPT performance

Rezaeiha

Schönherr

2012

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review most of the significant works ever done worldwide to study the effects of essential parameters on pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) performance and to analyze the effects of each parameter on PPT performance. Design/methodology/approach -All the important works studying PPT performance are categorized by the parameter they have studied and its effect on the thruster performance, and their works have been reviewed to analyze the influence of each parameter. Findings -The analysis leads to elucidation of the effects of different geometrical parameters including aspect ratio, electrode width, electrode spacing, electrode shape, electrode length, and flare angle, in addition to the effects of other parameters such as electrode material, propellant type, propellant temperature, spark distance from propellant, pulse repetition frequency, discharge energy, capacitance, and hood angle on PPT performance.Research limitations/implications -The analysis is mainly focused on parallel-rail breech-fed PPTs and side-fed PPTs and does not deal with co-axial PPTs. Originality/value -The paper reviews and analyses many of the considerable works ever done to contribute to clarify the effects of different parameters on PPT performance. The results of the current analysis can be of invaluable assistance in PPT design and optimization procedure and help the designer to develop a system with better performance characteristics.

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“…It has been widely used in research and is the only propellant so far to be used in space with a PPT. Although liquid propellants [3] and gaseous propellants [4] have been tested for feasibility, the change from an ablation-type discharge to an injection-type discharge and the limited reported experimental data impede a proper comparison of the performance and, hence, have limited their application.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%