Microwave Corona Breakdown Around Metal Corners and Wedges

Jordan, U.; Dorozhkina, D. S.; Semenov, V. E.; Olsson, Torsten; Anderson, Dan; Lisak, M.; Puech, J.; Nefedov, I. M.; Shereshevskii, I. A.

doi:10.1109/tps.2007.896987

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Corona discharge [7] occurs when free electrons accelerated by transmitted fields ionize neutral gas molecules. The number of neutral gas molecules is low in orbit, but during launch assent, corona discharge can occur when neutral gas molecules are present.…”

Section: Transmit Power Handling Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication satellite antenna testing

Dybdal

2015

IEEE Instrum. Meas. Mag.

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C ommunication satellite systems necessarily require multi-disciplinary tests to assure and maintain effective system operation. This overview summarizes the overall testing for satellite communication systems and describes the subset of antenna and antenna-related testing in particular. Antenna test requirements address both RF and environmental specifications that include both launch and on-orbit extremes for space systems and wind and climate conditions for ground systems. In addition to characterizing antenna performance, other system test requirements have antenna-related measurements and test requirements. Satellite System RequirementsSatellite system evaluations have three distinct test phases, development tests, qualification tests, and on-orbit tests [1], as Fig. 1 shows. Development tests establish design compliance with system requirements. Qualification tests establish flight hardware that maintain the performance achieved in development testing, identify any workmanship shortfalls, and determine flight-worthiness of the integrated satellite. On-orbit tests initially establish operational compliance with the system's requirements, and have the capability to monitor, diagnose, and identify potential performance shortfalls over the satellite's lifetime.Ground segment evaluations [1] follow a similar path, as illustrated in Fig. 2. However, these evaluations must also address both cost effective tests for the large volume of user terminals manufactured and more extensive tests for large ground terminals (e.g., in mission control and gateway applications) and the additional requirements they have for system control and diagnostics. Ground segment designs significantly capitalize on available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, require equipment selection between alternative vendors, and need to be developed using specific program requirements. The larger ground terminal antennas have decades-long lifetimes, and because of their cost, have separate sustainment plans that allow terminal antennas to incorporate and satisfy new requirements and to replace older equipment with maintenance issues.A requirement verification matrix is constructed at the program inception that describes the tests needed to demonstrate design compliance. This matrix is then used to determine test and facility requirements, instrumentation, test methodologies, software processing for the program, and detailed test plans. System designs must pay particular attention to provide an adequate number of test points to allow both characterization and diagnostic measurements. The space segment requires attention to telemetry points to provide insight for operational diagnostics. Larger ground terminals are typically financially incentivized by availability requirements and require close attention to redundancy and built-in-test equipment (BITE) capabilities to restore service in a timely fashion, particularly with today's trends toward remote operation. Providing proper attention to these issues at the program's inception is essential...

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Section: Transmit Power Handling Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication satellite antenna testing

Dybdal

2015

IEEE Instrum. Meas. Mag.

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“…To do so, we comparatively present the design, fabrication, surface finishing characterization and experimental verification of both FSSs. Then, based on the tested surface finishing condition of the fabricated FSSs and numerical simulation, we demonstrate the high power handling capability of both FSSs by considering the corona discharge [22] as well as the volumetric breakdown [23]. Finally, a systematic comparison between the two FSSs regarding the separation capability, the fabrication challenge and the power-handling capability is carried out.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of Frequency-Selective Surfaces for a THz Gyromultiplier Output System

Liu

Ronald

et al. 2017

IEEE Trans. Electron Devices

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Abstract-The recent development of some high-power THz vacuum electronic devices calls for the application of space filters such as frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) and polarization dividers. This paper presents the comparative study of two types of FSSs for a THz gyro-multiplier output system, one with high-pass characteristic while the other one with low-pass functionality. Both FSSs are designed, fabricated and experimentally tested between 200 and 1600 GHz to verify their capability of separating the dual-frequency output from the gyro-multiplier. The high-power operation capability of the FSSs is also characterized by taking both the corona discharge and volumetric breakdown into consideration at the frequencies of interest. Based on the comparative study of the performance, the fabrication challenge and the high-power capability between the two FSSs, a generalized conclusion is given regarding the choice of the FSSs for high-power THz application.

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“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Spaceships are subject to the risk of microwave breakdown occurring on the aperture of slot antennas 3,6,7 and/or inside microwave satellite payloads. [9][10][11][12][13] The risk of breakdown appears during the atmospheric entry of space vehicles in planet exploratory missions or during Earth's atmospheric re-entry, as well as in the Telemetry Tracking and Control (TTC) launching phase. The resulting partially ionized gas leads to strong absorption and/or reflection of the incident microwave signal, what can lead to a dramatic increase of the ohmic losses and to a noticeable temperature rise, with the subsequent permanent damage of the instruments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%