The demonstration model thruster in development is a sub-scale, 50,000-s, lithium fueled gridded ion thruster that will be tested at up to 50 kW input power. However, there is no long-life hollow cathode for this thruster that will work in lithium. This R&TD program solves that problem by developing a lithium hollow cathode.
Design of a hollow cathode thruster: concepts, parameter study …
2021年5月26日 · The idea of a hollow cathode thruster was based on early observations of high energetic ions produced in hollow cathodes [3, 4] and a high degree of ionization in the orifice region, that represent possible thrust production mechanisms, and thus could qualify hollow cathodes as simple stand-alone electric propulsion systems .
Hollow Cathode Thrusters and Electric Propulsion Systems
Hollow cathode thrusters are a type of electric propulsion system that play a crucial role in space exploration and satellite operations. These devices utilize a hollow cathode to generate plasma ...
deliver xenon to the spacecraft, one for the anode and one for the cathode. The AEPS thruster is the highest power electric propulsion device in production, providing around 600mN of thrust and a specific impulse of around 2800s at a 12kW operating point. This is a mid-range
Full lifetime demonstration of a Micro-Cathode-Arc thruster …
2024年6月1日 · This work demonstrates a full lifetime test of 140000 cycles on a Micro-Cathode-Arc Thruster (μCAT) with 160 μs charging time and 86 mJ charging energy. A four-probe resistivity measurement method is utilized to investigate variations in the conductive film thickness and resistivity throughout the thruster lifespan.
Hall-e ect thrusters (HETs) are a class of electric propulsion devices that use electric and magnetic fields to create a plasma and expel the ions at high velocity in order to generate thrust.1 A critical component of the HET is the cathode. The cathode in an HET is a plasma source which provides free electrons which serve two purposes.
Design of magnetically enhanced hollow cathode micro-thruster: …
2023年6月1日 · In this study, a novel magnetically enhanced hollow cathode micro-thruster is designed and tested. It can be operated at anode powers in the range of 41.4–73.9 W with xenon discharge when the flow rate is 3.5 sccm, and it can generate specific impulses in the range of 551–723 s at a thrust efficiency of up to 13.1%.
Recent progress in research and development of hollow cathodes …
2019年6月3日 · Electric thrusters are finding increasing usage worldwide in spacecraft applications. Significant progress has been made in recent years in the modeling and performance of thermionic hollow cathodes used in flight thrusters, such as Hall and ion thrusters, or other types of plasma sources, such as for technological plasmas.
Abstract: The effects of cathode flow rate and cathode coupling on total thruster efficiency are examined for a 6 kW Hall thruster. The thruster was operated with a traditionally mounted external cathode and its performance and efficiency are compared to its operation with an internally-mounted, on-axis cathode. To analyze the efficiency at
Hollow cathodes as electron sources in Hall thruster propulsion systems are simple in structure and operation. And they are proposed to be developed into electric micro-thrusters, which can make thruster and cathode to integrate. Gabriel et al13 develop two micro-thrusters based on T5 and T6 hollow cathodes. It is found that gas
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