PPT Development for Nanosatellite Applications: Experimental Results

Coletti, Michele; Ciaralli, Simone; Gabriel, Stephen

doi:10.1109/tps.2014.2368054

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The QM conditioning electronics is based on the design of the high voltage (HV) board prototype that has already proved its lifetime and reliability, being able to drive about 1,000,000 shots without failures ( [5] and [11]). …”

Section: B Conditioning Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Results of the qualification test campaign of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP)

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cite this article as: S. Ciaralli, M. Coletti and S.B. Gabriel, Results of the qualification test campaign of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP), Acta Astronautica, http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.actaastro.2015.08.016 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. II. IntroductionAblative Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs) have been studied and developed since the 60s and they are the first example of electric propulsion successfully employed in space as both the Zond-2 (USSR) and LES-6 (USA) satellites used a propulsion system based on the PPT technology [1]. From then on, PPTs have been designed focusing not only on high or very high energy (up to 80 kJ) devices, but also on low-energy (< 10 J) thrusters ([2] and [3]), thanks to their high scalability in terms of geometry, power input and performance and to their relative low cost. Therefore, low-energy PPTs could be successfully used for the orbital and attitude control of pico, nano and micro satellites. Table 1. It has to be 3 noticed that PPTCUP could also be used to perform small orbit changes and to maintain satellites in formations enabling Cubesats to perform complex formation flying missions. The first PPTCUP model delivered a satisfactory performance but could not provide the requested lifetime.Subsequent to this study, an engineering model (PPTCUP-EM) was designed to optimize performance and achieve the required lifetime. PPTCUP-EM successfully passed a lifetime test campaign and the results showed a total impulse capability of 42.9 ± 3.9 Ns delivered in about 1,125,000 shots [5].Starting from the PPTCUP-EM design, a PPTCUP qualification model (PPTCUP-QM) has been designed and manufactured as part of an ESA ITI-C funded activity. Since the scope of this activity is to design a potential flightqualified product, it has been decided to produce a "stand-alone" module that can be bolted on the Cubesat structure.The module can be stacked at the top/bottom of a Cubesat or in the middle of it using a standard payload adapter.Such an approach is becoming popular among Cubesat manufacturers because it allows the production of subsystems that are isolated from the main Cubesat.An extended qualification test campaign, including electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) characterization, thermal cycling, and mechanical tests, has been performed. In this paper the PPTCUP-QM design, the experimental apparatus and the test results are presented. 4 III. PPTCUP-QM system designIn this section the PPTCUP-QM system design is presented. The PPTCUP-QM module consists of three main parts: the discharge chamber, which is an abl...

show abstract

Section: B Conditioning Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Results of the qualification test campaign of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP)

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, with the advance of MEMS technology, more integrated devices can be accommodated in very small spacecraft. This Other conventional manufacturing approaches also allow the development of advanced systems that may be compatible with CubeSat standards [96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113]. Also, innovative propellants, especially green ones, might open the path to new concepts of thrusters or new ways of using them.…”

Section: Future Developmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of MEMS micropropulsion technologies for CubeSats and PocketQubes

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

CubeSats have been extensively used in the past decade as scientific tools, technology demonstrators and for education. Recently, PocketQubes have emerged as an interesting and even smaller alternative to CubeSats. However, both satellite types often lack some key capabilities, such as micropropulsion, in order to further extend the range of applications of these small satellites. This paper reviews the current development status of micropropulsion systems fabricated with MEMS (micro electro-mechanical systems) and silicon technology intended to be used in CubeSat or PocketQube missions and compares different technologies with respect to performance parameters such as thrust, specific impulse, and power as well as in terms of operational complexity. More than 30 different devices are analyzed and divided into 7 main categories according to the working principle. A specific outcome of the research is the identification of the current status of MEMS technologies for micropropulsion including key opportunities and challenges.

show abstract

“…With relatively low density, steady physical and chemical properties, low conductivity, and high specific heat, Teflon has become an ablation-resistant propellant, and is applied in PPT [17][18][19] and other aerospace applications [20]. There have been a number of investigations into the ablation process of Teflon, and some models have been presented to help study the ablation problem [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theoretical Modeling and Parameter Analysis of Micro-Pulsed Plasma Thruster

et al. 2018

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, a new numerical modeling method that combines a modified electromechanical model with a Teflon ablation model is proposed to simulate the working process of micro-pulsed plasma thruster (µPPT). The ablation mass accumulation during the discharge process and the non-Fourier effect during the ablation process are considered to improve simulation accuracy. Simulation results are in good agreement with experimental results. Furthermore, the influence of both the electrical and structural parts on the performance of µPPT was investigated by applying the combined model. It was proven that large capacitance of the capacitor and large gap-to-plate-width ratios can effectively improve the comprehensive performance of the thruster concluding the specific impulse, impulse bit, and efficiency. The results not only validate the theoretical model, but also guide the design and operation optimization of µPPT.

show abstract

PPT Development for Nanosatellite Applications: Experimental Results

Cited by 24 publications

References 10 publications

Results of the qualification test campaign of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP)

Results of the qualification test campaign of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Propulsion (PPTCUP)

A review of MEMS micropropulsion technologies for CubeSats and PocketQubes

Theoretical Modeling and Parameter Analysis of Micro-Pulsed Plasma Thruster

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About