Operational Envelope of the Low Power Plasma Facilities at the University of Kentucky

The IPG6-B as a research facility to support future development of electric propulsion

“…The IPG6 is a downscaled version of the IPG3 at the Institute for Space Systems (IRS) [7] for lower powers in the range of P RF = 0.5 − 15 kW. To date, besides the IPG6-B two largely identical facilities developed in a common approach exist in two different locations: The IPG6-S at the University of Stuttgart [9], used as a development platform for atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) systems [10] and the IPG6-UKY at the University of Kentucky [11], used to study gas-surface interactions in plasmas. These facilities are identical in generator design, e.g.…”

“…magnets[52]. In the experiment shown inFig 9,11.4µm melamine-formaldehyde (MF) dust particles with a density of 1.51 g/cm 3 are dropped onto a planar, circular electrode creating a capacitively-coupled RF discharge at a plasma power of 11 W and a pressure of 5.3 Pa. To examine the influence of the magnetic fields on the particle trajectories, a cylindrical NdFeB magnet of grade 40 SH with a magnetic remanence of 1.24-1.28 T, 6.35 mm in both length and diameter, was placed on the lower electrode beneath a glass plate of 1.5mm thickness and 50.8 mm diameter. Particles were illuminated using a laser fan and a Photron 1024 high speed camera was used to track the trajectories of single particles.…”