Performance Analysis of an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Thruster with Various Propellants

Sheppard, Anna J.; Little, Justin M.

doi:10.2514/1.b38698

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…F i∞ and F e∞ are the ion and electron thrust contributions, following Eqs. ( 7) and (15). F n is the neutral thrust contribution from Eq.…”

Section: E Direct Vs Indirect Thrust Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, multiple ionization might occur in the discharge chamber due to the relatively high electron temperature and plasma density available in this kind of device. 15 Referring to Eq. ( 6), the total axial current can be written as I zi ¼ I zi1 P j R j , where j indicates the ion species and R j ¼ I zij =I zi1 .…”

Section: E Direct Vs Indirect Thrust Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coaxial ECRT was first developed at ONERA (France), showing promising and competitive performance, [5][6][7][8] and raising interest in it elsewhere. 15,16 This design, however, is not strictly electrodeless and suffers the erosion of the central conductor and metallic deposition on the thruster backplate, 7 posing a limitation on lifetime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thrust measurements of a waveguide electron cyclotron resonance thruster

Inchingolo,

Merino,

Wijnen

et al. 2024

Journal of Applied Physics

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Direct thrust measurements are performed on a circular waveguide electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) thruster working at 5.8 GHz using a pendulum thrust balance with mechanically amplified displacement. Thrust levels between 1 and 3.5 mN are found for power levels in the range of 60–350 W and xenon flow rate between 2 and 8 SCCM. A maximum thrust efficiency of 3.5% is reached at 2 SCCM and 60 W. Plasma plume diagnostics are used to estimate the thruster partial efficiencies to understand the main losses, and to perform a comparative analysis between directly and indirectly measured thrust. Results suggest that the low energy conversion efficiency and propellant utilization efficiency (<6.4% and < 53%, respectively) are the key factors spoiling the ECR thruster performance. Finally, retarding potential analyzer measurements show the presence of energetic electrons with energy tail up to about 300 eV.

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“…F i∞ and F e∞ are the ion and electron thrust contributions, following Eqs. ( 7) and (15). F n is the neutral thrust contribution from Eq.…”

Section: E Direct Vs Indirect Thrust Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: E Direct Vs Indirect Thrust Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Thrust measurements of a waveguide electron cyclotron resonance thruster

Inchingolo,

Merino,

Wijnen

et al. 2024

Journal of Applied Physics

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show abstract

“…Water is another candidate for condensable propellants and has unique affinities for small spacecraft [21][22][23][24][25]. The primary benefit of water is its inexhaustible abundance on Earth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demonstration and experimental characteristics of a water-vapor Hall thruster

et al. 2023

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Water is an attractive candidate for condensable propellants owing to its availability, handleability, and sustainability. This study proposes the use of water vapor as a propellant for a low-power Hall thruster, and experimentally demonstrates the feasibility of this proposal. Based on the performance estimation from the plume diagnostics, a thrust-to-power ratio of 19 mN/kW, specific impulse of 550–860 s, and anode efficiency of 5–8 % were obtained at an anode power of 233–358 W. From further efficiency analysis, the mass utilization efficiency of water was found to be the most deteriorated among the internal efficiencies compared to the conventional xenon propellant, which was consistent with the expectations from a small discharge current oscillation, large beam divergence, and increase in low-energy ions. Moreover, additional power loss via reactions unique to polyatomic molecules was indicated by evaluation of the ionization cost. In this experiment, the mass utilization efficiency was improved with an increase in the anode voltage from 200 to 240 V without degradation of the power utilization. This suggests that operating at a higher voltage is more suitable for a water-vapor Hall thruster.

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Plume characterization of a waveguide ECR thruster

Inchingolo

Merino

Navarro-Cavallé

2023

Journal of Applied Physics

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A circular waveguide electron cyclotron resonance plasma thruster prototype driven by microwaves at 5.8 GHz (80–300 W) is characterized. The magnetic field is generated by a combination of Sm-CoYXG32 magnets and an electromagnet, which enables the tuning of the resonance position and magnetic nozzle shape. The main plasma plume properties are analyzed by using electrostatic probes when the mass flow rate (Xenon), microwave power, electromagnet current, and propellant injector design are varied. An estimation of the propulsive performance of the device is also presented. Results show that a single radial injector hole is not sufficient for a symmetric ion current profile and that magnetic nozzle shape and strength tuning can significantly affect the divergence angle and thruster floating potential. A utilization efficiency of up to 70% and electron temperatures of up to 16 eV have been measured.

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Performance Analysis of an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Thruster with Various Propellants

Cited by 5 publications

References 35 publications

Thrust measurements of a waveguide electron cyclotron resonance thruster

Thrust measurements of a waveguide electron cyclotron resonance thruster

Demonstration and experimental characteristics of a water-vapor Hall thruster

Plume characterization of a waveguide ECR thruster

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