Thrust efficiency optimization of the pulsed plasma thruster SIMP-LEX

The effect of electric parameters on the thrust efficiency of an ablative pulsed plasma thruster was studied. Analytically, it was shown that a higher efficiency can be obtained by increasing energy of a bank of capacitors. This can be achieved by changing the inductance per distance of the plasma s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta astronautica 2010-08, Vol.67 (3), p.440-448
Main Authors: Nawaz, Anuscheh, Albertoni, Riccardo, Auweter-Kurtz, Monika
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ablation
Capacitors
Circuits
Discharge
Efficiency
Electric circuit
Inductance
Mathematical analysis
Optimization
Pulsed plasma thruster
Pulsed plasma thrusters
Thrust
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Summary:The effect of electric parameters on the thrust efficiency of an ablative pulsed plasma thruster was studied. Analytically, it was shown that a higher efficiency can be obtained by increasing energy of a bank of capacitors. This can be achieved by changing the inductance per distance of the plasma sheet, or reducing the resistance of the circuit and the mass bit. Further, an optimum discharge time was found when the capacitance and the inductance were varied. A low initial inductance increases the thrust efficiency. Experimentally, these trends can be verified by comparing two thrusters: SIMP-LEX and ADD SIMP-LEX, with their different initial inductances. For ADD SIMP-LEX, the optimal thrust efficiency for different capacities was determined to be 31% at 60 μ F for a 17 J configuration.
ISSN:0094-5765
1879-2030
DOI:10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.03.006