Medium power arcjet thruster experiments

Performance characteristics of a medium power hydrogen arcjet

“…3 The thruster and the balance are integrated in a stainless steel tank with a diameter of 1.25 m and a length of 4 m, which is connected to a roots pump vacuum plant with a pumping speed of more than 200,000 m 3 /h at 10~2 mbar. The power is supplied by a current regulated dc power unit with a maximum voltage of 1000 V and a maximum current setting of 1000 A.…”

“…Based on the experience with a water-cooled 15-kW laboratory thruster, 3 a 5-20-kW radiation cooled arcjet thruster was developed and tested with hydrogen, simulated hydrazine, and ammonia as propellants. 3 Operation characteristic with the two latter propellants are well known. However, the highest specific impulse can be achieved with pure hydrogen, because the molecular weight and the frozen flow losses are the lowest with pure hydrogen.…”

Performance Potential of Plasma Thrusters: Arcjet and Hall Thruster Modeling

“…, at s th e elec tric field ( ) -k ). Th is eq u atio n m a y be l r e K , n o m d f u i n i h r v n simplified by introducing the variable X large Kl K, 2 and Bohm diffusion is the driving representing the total energy density, defined as…”

“…The final results of this work have since appeared in Ms. Sakamoto's M.S. Thesis (2], and have been presented in a paper at the 29th Joint Propulsion Conference[3 1 . The method is capable of good (±20%) a priori predictions of thrust and efficiency over a wide range of parameters, but requires some judgment in the selection of input parameters.…”

“…Also in the first Yearly Report, we showed the development and preliminary res'llts of a detailed arcjet numerical model which was part of Scott Miller's Ph.D. Thesis work. This model is now essentially complete, and results have also been presented at the Joint Propulsion Conference[4 1 . This is probably the most accurate description available of the hydrogen arcjet physics, and provides first-principles performance predictions as well as internal parameter distributions which illuminate the device's operation and suggest routes for improvement.…”