Development and flight history of the SERT II spacecraft

Kerslake, W. R.; Ignaczak, L. R.

doi:10.2514/3.25512

Cited by 27 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…It may also be possible to vaporize liquid Zn or Mg at the surface of a porous frit, a method that has been used in bismuth thrusters at Busek and in mercury ion engines. 17,18,19 …”

Section: B Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

High Density Hall Thruster Propellant Investigations

Szabo¹,

Robin²,

Paintal³

et al. 2012

48th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference &Amp;amp; Exhibit

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Multiple high density propellant alternatives for Hall Effect Thrusters were investigated experimentally. The metals magnesium and zinc showed promise for high specific impulse applications. The halogen iodine showed great promise for general use, with measured performance similar to xenon and lower plume divergence. The metal bismuth showed promise for missions requiring high thrust to power. All of the high density options could substantially increase the change in velocity available to spacecraft when discharge potential and propellant volume are fixed or limited. NomenclatureB = magnetic field E = electric field e = charge of an electron, 1.6 x 10 -19 C F = thrust Φ = potential difference 0 g = gravitational constant at Earth's surface, 9.81 m/s 2 I = current, subscripts b for beam, c for cathode, d for discharge, m for magnet sp I = specific impulse j = current density m = mass, subscripts p for propellant, 0 for initial m = mass flow rate, subscript a for anode M = ion mass P = power, subscript d for discharge p = pressure, subscript s for sensor, x for xenon q = ion charge R = radial direction d V = discharge potential v = exhaust, particle, or beam velocity V ∆ = change in spacecraft velocity Z = axial direction η = efficiency, subscript t for thrust

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“…It may also be possible to vaporize liquid Zn or Mg at the surface of a porous frit, a method that has been used in bismuth thrusters at Busek and in mercury ion engines. 17,18,19 …”

Section: B Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

High Density Hall Thruster Propellant Investigations

Szabo¹,

Robin²,

Paintal³

et al. 2012

48th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference &Amp;amp; Exhibit

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…11 The comparison with Hg is especially significant because Hg ion engines on the SERT II spacecraft were successfully fired on-orbit for 4000 hours. 12 Most spacecraft surfaces, including solar arrays, were too warm to permit Hg condensation and showed no evidence of condensate. SERT II proved that condensable propellants are a viable option for electric satellite propulsion.…”

Section: ) Bht-200mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mission and System Advantages of Iodine Hall Thrusters

Dankanich

Szabo

Pote

et al. 2014

50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference

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The exploration of alternative propellants for Hall thrusters continues to be of interest to the community. Investments have been made and continue for the maturation of iodine based Hall thrusters. Iodine testing has shown comparable performance to xenon. However, iodine has a higher storage density and resulting higher ∆V capability for volume constrained systems. Iodine's vapor pressure is low enough to permit low-pressure storage, but high enough to minimize potential adverse spacecraft-thruster interactions. The low vapor pressure also means that iodine does not condense inside the thruster at ordinary operating temperatures. Iodine is safe, it stores at sub-atmospheric pressure, and can be stored unregulated for years on end; whether on the ground or on orbit. Iodine fills a niche for both low power (<1kW) and high power (>10kW) electric propulsion regimes. A range of missions have been evaluated for direct comparison of Iodine and Xenon options. The results show advantages of iodine Hall systems for both small and microsatellite application and for very large exploration class missions.

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“…The curve represents the threshold current density for a surface at temperature T above which mass starts collecting. Below this threshold, accumulation may be only a few monolayers or less [36]. BHT-1000 measurements can be used to estimate j in the vicinity of a thruster and, in turn, the critical temperature.…”

Section: Iodine Deposition and Removalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mercury ion engines on SERT II were successfully fired on-orbit for 4000 h [36]. Most spacecraft surfaces, including solar arrays, were too warm to permit Hg condensation and showed no evidence of condensate [37].…”

Section: Iodine Deposition and Removalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iodine Plasma Propulsion Test Results at 1–10 kW

Szabo

Robin

Paintal

et al. 2015

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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The near-term potential for iodine propellant in Hall thrusters is explored. The merits of iodine with respect to other propellants are presented. Recent performance measurements are summarized, and new measurements taken with an 8 kW thruster are presented. Thruster discharge power exceeded 10 kW, and peak measured anode efficiency exceeded 65%. Spacecraft interactions issues are also addressed and relevant data taken with a 1 kW thruster are presented. Plume data showed lower divergence with iodine than with xenon, and that a plume shield could effectively attenuate the far field plume. Material samples placed in the plume showed a strong reaction with iron, but little reaction with typical spacecraft materials. System level benefits, including low storage pressure and extremely high density, are also discussed. All results so far indicate iodine is a viable propellant for electric rockets, and for some missions is superior to xenon.

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Development and flight history of the SERT II spacecraft

Cited by 27 publications

References 26 publications

High Density Hall Thruster Propellant Investigations

High Density Hall Thruster Propellant Investigations

Mission and System Advantages of Iodine Hall Thrusters

Iodine Plasma Propulsion Test Results at 1–10 kW

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