Ion engine grids: Function, main parameters, issues, configurations, geometries, materials and fabrication methods

Sangregorio, Miguel; Xie, Kan; Wang, Ningfei; Guo, Ning; Zhang, Zun

doi:10.1016/j.cja.2018.06.005

Cited by 34 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…In direct comparison with the four-electrode configuration, we see that the three electrodes develop an electric potential distribution more favorable to the acceleration of the ion charged particles. We also found out that by reducing the negative voltage down to −9 kV, an acceleration region appeared, that would be neutralized in the second anode, as we can find in several grid ion engines configurations (Sangregorio et al 2018). The particles distribution as different patterns for each voltage.…”

Section: Three-electrodes Geometrysupporting

confidence: 64%

Modelling an Argon Propellant Dual Stage Cylindrical Electrohydrodynamic Thruster at Low Pressure

Calvo

Pinheiro²,

Sá

2021

UPjeng

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In recent years, electric propulsion reached a high level of impact for space orbital maneuvers, planetary journeys, or deep space missions mostly because of its significant exhaust velocity, and its high specific impulse. In this study, we model a corona discharge to describe the behaviour of several key parameters in dual-stage electrohydrodynamic (EHD) thrusters investigating two different configurations. It was found that, between the two geometries, the three-electrode geometry was the better method since the four-electrode geometry would create a slowdown area, thus decreasing the output thrust. By setting the first cathode with a negative voltage and the second connected to the ground, the ions and electrons would be accelerated in the first cathode and would be neutralized, by virtue of secondary electron emission taking place in the second. Overall, the dual stage three electrodes EHD thruster spends 8mW of electric power and delivers a thrust of 157nN with an efficiency of 32mN/kW.

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Section: Three-electrodes Geometrysupporting

confidence: 64%

Modelling an Argon Propellant Dual Stage Cylindrical Electrohydrodynamic Thruster at Low Pressure

Calvo

Pinheiro²,

Sá

2021

UPjeng

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“…The grid system is one of the critical components of this type of thruster and must meet a variety of requirements, such as low material erosion on ion impact, precisely defined thermal properties, good machinability, and high manufacturing precision. 129 These requirements have to be implemented for a long lifetime of the grid system. The lifetime of GIE is mainly determined by the erosion of the grid system.…”

Section: Acceleration Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A major issue of spacecraft EP interaction is related to the interaction of the neutralized ion plume with parts of the thruster itself, 129,[344][345][346][347][348][349][350][351][352] other components of the spacecraft, [353][354][355] other spacecrafts in the case of debris removal employing EP for momentum transfer, 92 or with parts of the test facility in the case of terrestrial testing. 265,356 One has to distinguish between the damage induced by material sputtering by the ion beam itself and effects due to the deposition of either the propellant itself or its sputter products on surfaces of the spacecraft.…”

Section: J Sc/ep Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ion thrusters for electric propulsion: Scientific issues developing a niche technology into a game changer

Holste

Dietz

Scharmann

et al. 2020

Review of Scientific Instruments

135

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The transition from OLD SPACE to NEW SPACE along with increasing commercialization has a major impact on space flight, in general, and on electric propulsion (EP) by ion thrusters, in particular. Ion thrusters are nowadays used as primary propulsion systems in space. This article describes how these changes related to NEW SPACE affect various aspects that are important for the development of EP systems. Starting with a historical overview of the development of space flight and of the technology of EP systems, a number of important missions with EP and the underlying technologies are presented. The focus of our discussion is the technology of the radio frequency ion thruster as a prominent member of the gridded ion engine family. Based on this discussion, we give an overview of important research topics such as the search for alternative propellants, the development of reliable neutralizer concepts based on novel insert materials, as well as promising neutralizer-free propulsion concepts. In addition, aspects of thruster modeling and requirements for test facilities are discussed. Furthermore, we address aspects of space electronics with regard to the development of highly efficient electronic components as well as aspects of electromagnetic compatibility and radiation hardness. This article concludes with a presentation of the interaction of EP systems with the spacecraft.

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“…Typically, electric thrusters have incorporated innovations related to materials and fabrication processes to their components. For instance, the development of carbon-based composite materials [7] boosted intense research that led to the development of carbon-carbon ion optics [8][9][10], which nowadays are one of the options for the extraction systems of ion thrusters [11,12].However, very few works containing innovative fabrication approaches of electric propulsion components or focused on the application of new production technologies, such as additive manufacturing, have appeared recently.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printing of Ion Optics for Electric Propulsion

et al. 2019

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Additive manufacturing is rapidly opening its way into many areas of the aerospace industry, where different 3D printing technologies are finding niche applications in which they do not only simplify the process and allow shorter lead times, but also the particularities of these new fabrication methods yield new material properties that enhance the component and can lead to higher performance and longer service life of an aerospace system. Although rapid manufacturing processes are being tested for in-space manufacturing and are commonly used to fabricate UAV parts and some spacecraft subsystems with 3D printed components have been tested in space, little research has been conducted on the potential application of these techniques to electric thrusters. This paper presents the study conducted on the application of selective laser melting, a powder bed fusion technology, to the fabrication of ion engine grids and the challenges faced during the process. The first proof of concept and its optimization are described. Later, the development of the selective laser melting process for molybdenum, the study of the 3D printed materials' properties, their direct application to ion extraction systems, and the tests of additively-manufactured ion optics are described. It was found that 3D printed grids can be accurately fabricated with titanium and molybdenum, that they perform similar to conventional optics in short tests, that the selective laser melting process allows certain control of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the output and that this fabrication method allows the reproduction of sputtering erosion patterns. Future research in this direction will cover sputtering tests of selectively-laser-melted samples and the additive manufacturing of carbon-carbon grids.

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Ion engine grids: Function, main parameters, issues, configurations, geometries, materials and fabrication methods

Cited by 34 publications

References 83 publications

Modelling an Argon Propellant Dual Stage Cylindrical Electrohydrodynamic Thruster at Low Pressure

Modelling an Argon Propellant Dual Stage Cylindrical Electrohydrodynamic Thruster at Low Pressure

Ion thrusters for electric propulsion: Scientific issues developing a niche technology into a game changer

3D Printing of Ion Optics for Electric Propulsion

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