State-of-the-Art and Advancement Paths for Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thrusters

Abstract

An inductive pulsed plasma thruster (IPPT) operates by pulsing high current through an inductor, typically a coil of some type, producing an electromagnetic field that drives current in a plasma, accelerating it to high speed. The IPPT is electrodeless, with no direct electrical connection between the externally applied pulsed high-current circuit and the current conducted in the plasma. Several different configurations were proposed and tested, including those that produce a plasma consisting of an accelerating current sheet and those that use closed magnetic flux lines to help confine the plasma during acceleration. Specific impulses up to 7000 s and thrust efficiencies over 50% have been measured. The present state-of-the-art for IPPTs is reviewed, focusing on the operation, modeling techniques, and major subsystems found in various configurations. Following that review is documentation of IPPT technology advancement paths that were proposed or considered.

Electric Propulsion Methods for Small Satellites: A Review

“…Some recent works have focused on the implementation of solid state switching devices for the discharge capacitors which is expected to improve lifetime of PPTs. Eliminating the voltage reversal on the energy storage capacitors by using alternative circuit topologies opposed to Resistor, Inductor, Capacitor (RLC) as well as improving the efficiency with high speed, bidirectional IGBTs or MOSFETS [102]. Alternatives such as the BM topology and the pulse compression ring circuit have been proposed to enhance performance.…”

“…Alternatives such as the BM topology and the pulse compression ring circuit have been proposed to enhance performance. The effect of these alternatives on the thrust, specific impulse and delta v has not been explored [102]. The use of PPTs for orbit raising would require the thrust and lifetime to be increased.…”

“…While adaption of circuit topologies and minimization of peripheral inductivity leads to thrust efficiencies of even more than 30% in the case of ADD SIMPLEX [99,103]. Using high Q energy storage capacitors may also help to reduce the high temperatures, as well as heat shrinks which optimise the performance over the required operating duration [102]. The adaption of the area specific energy for the propellants can lead to a minimization of charring in the long term operation and, in addition, it also can increase the thrust efficiency further as demonstrated with the coaxial (E < 10 J) PETRUS thruster [104,105].…”

Incident-angle dependence of deformation characteristics of aluminum surface under low-energy xenon-ion impact

“…Electric propulsion, a key and revolutionary technology for the new generations of satellites, has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to its outstanding advantages such as superior fuel efficiency, unprecedented specific impulse, high thrust precision, low costs, and long endurance [1][2][3][4]. These properties make it promising technology for potential applications in a broad range of fields such as orbit correction and deep space exploration [5,6].…”

Numerical Aspects of Particle-in-Cell Simulations for Plasma-Motion Modeling of Electric Thrusters

“…In space electric thruster applications, the former is suitable to describe the internal flow-field of high-power thrusters as Hall-effect thrusters [25,26], while the latter for cathodeless thrusters [27][28][29]. The accuracy of the solution is mostly affected by the implemented numerical scheme and by the number of macroparticles involved in the simulation.…”