Cathode phenomena in plasma thrusters

Auweter‐Kurtz, Monika; Glocker, B.; Kurtz, H.; Loesener, Otto; Schrade, H. O.; Tubanos, Nikolaos; Wegmann, Thomas; Willer, D.; Polk, James E.

doi:10.2514/3.23703

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Therefore, at the anode a rare gas layer of argon, which can be easily ionized, is produced by tangential injection. The argon additive is essential for providing a stable arcjet flow over several hours, and also for avoiding erosion due to an onset of the arc at the anode, i.e., with argon additive there is no copper and no cathode erosion material 4 in the plasma jet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the argon additive influence on a nitrogen arcjet flow

Schoenemann

Auweter‐Kurtz

Habiger

et al. 1994

Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer

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Two plasma wind tunnels for the simulation of conditions encountered by space vehicles during planetary entry, and for the development and qualification of heat protection material, are in use at the Institute for Space Systems. The plasma is produced by a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) accelerator, specially designed for the use of gas mixtures such as N 2 /O 2 and carbon containing gas mixtures. At high mass flow rates and low power levels a protective gas layer of argon is produced at the anode for a N 2 /O 2 flow. The influence of the Ar additive on a nitrogen plasma is investigated experimentally by means of electrostatic probes, mass spectrometry, pitot probes, and heat flux probes; and numerically with a program especially developed for the simulation of the high enthalpy flowfield of MPD accelerators. The existing numerical code for solving the chemical reactions within an air plasma was extended by argon/air reactions. A comparison between the experimental data set and the numerical simulation of the plasma flow is made for a N 2 and a N 2 /Ar plasma.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the argon additive influence on a nitrogen arcjet flow

Schoenemann

Auweter‐Kurtz

Habiger

et al. 1994

Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer

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“…A certain amount of electrode and ceramic screen erosion (especially for the cathode) was observed. A cathode mass loss of 7-23 mg/C can be expected for the ignition procedure used 17 , which gives a tungsten flow contamination of 65-260 ppm for design conditions. Flow contamination caused by copper should be less than 2 ppm.…”

Section: Characterization Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a pulsed arc heater for a hypersonic high enthalpy wind tunnel

Scortecci

Paganucci

Biagioni

1997

33rd Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit

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A pulsed arc heater was designed and manufactured at Centrospazio to equip a new hypersonic high-enthalpy blow-down wind tunnel capable of producing flows with a specific total enthalpy up to 2.5 MJ/kg. The heater mainly consists of two coaxial electrodes, separated by a constrictor, and a plenum chamber. The flow is heated by an electric arc ignited between the electrodes and sustained by the discharge of a large capacitor bank. The plenum chamber allows the flow to reach thermo-chemical equilibrium before the expansion in the wind tunnel nozzle. A numerical model was developed to simulate the unsteady behavior of the arc heater. The model was used during the design phase to optimize the geometrical and temporal parameters of the heater and the flow residence time. Experimental results from preliminary characterization compare favorably with numerical predictions. More than 600 runs have been performed up to date, demonstrating heater reliability and capabilities. incoming flow out outgoing flow restr restricted section electrodes electrodes conditions sheaths electrodes sheaths conditions * Senior scientist, Centrospazio. Member AIAA † Scientist, Centrospazio

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“…Reported erosion rates for steady state thrusters vary from 0⋅03µg/C (8) to 0C T 18µg/C (7) and can be lowered to range of (~2⋅0ng/C) by using pure propellant or by employing deoxygenating device (7) . The erosion rates for quasi steady-state thruster operation were measured in the range from 3⋅4µg/C (6) to 10µg/C (7) or 13µg/C (21) and it is a function of propellant type (6) and geometry (22 ).…”

Section: Thruster Operating Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This erosion is related to onset of significant discharge voltage oscillations and unsteady thruster operation (4)(5)(6) . Another limiting criterion is the thermo-ionic emission from the cathode (7)(8) . The erosion rate from the cathode determines its lifetime and hence the mission duration of the whole thruster.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance characterisation of MPD thrusters

Nada

2007

Aeronaut. j.

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This paper introduces a characterisation of the performance indices and operating limits of the self field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. The thrust, specific impulse, and efficiency are considered as the main performance indices, while the operating limits are the cathode lifetime, onset phenomenon, and the overfed state of the thruster. The effects of thruster parameters (current, mass flow rate, geometry, and propellant type) on the performance indices and operating limits are examined using one-dimensional model of cylindrical self-field thrusters. Design charts are presented to help the designers to choose the optimum and safe set of the thruster parameters that realise certain mission requirements.

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Cathode phenomena in plasma thrusters

Cited by 19 publications

References 11 publications

Analysis of the argon additive influence on a nitrogen arcjet flow

Analysis of the argon additive influence on a nitrogen arcjet flow

Development of a pulsed arc heater for a hypersonic high enthalpy wind tunnel

Performance characterisation of MPD thrusters

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