Expanding self-magnetic field magnetic plasma thruster

Abstract

An expanding self-magnetic field magnetic plasma thruster comprises a ceramic separator, a segmented expanding anode, a cathode and an air inlet joint; the ceramic separator comprises a hollow cylindrical section and a conical expanding section; the segmented expanding anode comprises an anode fixing ring, an anode discharge ring and a plurality of anode current transmission lines radially connected between the anode fixing ring and the anode discharge ring; the hollow cylindrical section is sleeved with the anode fixing ring; the anode discharge ring is fixed to the outer end of the expandingsection; the cathode is coaxially arranged in the hollow cylindrical section, and the top end of the cathode extends into the conical expanding section; the hollow cylindrical section is provided with the inlet joint; and a gas working medium enters an annular passage between the cathode and the ceramic separator from the air inlet joint and is uniformly injected into an expanding discharge cavity between the cathode and the segmented expanding anode on the outer circumference of the cathode. The acceleration effect of a toroidal magnetic field generated by anode discharge current on plasma is fully utilized, and the electromagnetic acceleration mechanism of the self-magnetic field magnetic plasma thruster is maximized.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention belongs to the field of aerospace electric propulsion, and relates to an expanding self-magnetic field magnetic plasma thruster. Background technique [0002] Compared with traditional chemical propulsion thrusters, electric propulsion thrusters have the advantage of higher specific impulse. Among many types of electric thrusters, magnetoplasma thrusters have significant advantages in interstellar navigation and deep space exploration due to their high thrust density. [0003] During the working process of the self-magnetic field magnetic plasma thruster, the gas working medium is firstly broken down into plasma at high voltage, and the Lorentz force is generated by the interaction between the discharge current in the plasma and the induced magnetic field, so that the plasma is accelerated in the aerodynamic and electromagnetic Under the joint action of acceleration, the thruster body is ejected to generate thrust. In order to improve t...

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Problems solved by technology

However, when the current and gas mass flow rate reach a certain critical value, continuing to increase the current will cause high-frequency oscillation of the voltage, resulting in severe ablation of the anode ("onset" phenomenon), which in turn leads to unstable operation of the thruster and reduced service life.

In addition, increasing the current will also increase the power deposition of the anode, resulting in the reduction of thruster efficiency and other issues.

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