Review of electric thrusters with low consumption power for corrective propulsion system of small space vehicles

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of current world developments in the field of low-energy plasma propulsion systems for small micro - and nanoclass spacecraft. A promising direction of thrusters for devices of nanoclass are propulsion ion propulsion. The use of electrical energy and high-frequency electromagnetic radiation eliminates the problem of significant power losses, because at this level, the laws of optics (reflection and focusing of waves by metal surfaces and dielectrics) and electrical conductivity (energy transfer through metal conductors) work. This fact is an advantage of plasma installations over thermal ones.

Simulation of the microwave propagation through the plume of a Hall thruster integrated on small spacecraft

“…As mentioned earlier, there are many different technologies of electric thrusters 31 . Each of them creates and accelerates a plasma to provide thrust.…”

Electric Propulsion Methods for Small Satellites: A Review

“…The most suitable power range for smallsats is at the lower end of the power scale, within the 100 W-1 kW range arcjets, as shown in the top right of (a) in Figure 7 [74]. Since the arc can generate significantly higher temperatures in comparison to a heating coil, the specific impulse is usually greater than that of a resistojet and while similar to chemical thrusters, the arcjets also usually have 2-3 times higher specific impulses than chemical rockets [75]. On the other hand, arcjets have low efficiency and a lot of heat loss, they also typically require complex power processing PPUs, e.g Aerojet.…”

“…Reducing the amount of propellant required for a particular mission is also advantageous and this could be achieved by reducing the stagnation temperature of the fuel [82]. The specific impulse of resistojets is limited by the melting temperature of the propellant used and by the maximum permissible temperature of the ohmic heater [75]. The choice of material for the ohmic heater or heat exchanger is therefore an important parameter [1].…”

Numerical simulation of hydrogen arcjet thruster with coupled sheath model

“…On the other hand, electric thrusters overcome this deficiency by using electrical energy for heating and/or accelerating the propellant. Electric arcjet thruster, one of the electric thrusters, provides a specific impulse up to 1500 s, higher than the chemical rockets and resistojets [1][2][3]. The arcjet thruster consists of a converging-diverging nozzle attached to the battery's anode and a conical tip cylindrical rod placed in the convergent section as a cathode.…”