Micro-cathode arc propulsion system

Abstract

The invention discloses a micro-cathode arc propulsion system. The micro-cathode arc propulsion system comprises an inductor, a power supply treating unit and a thruster, wherein the inductor is charged under the power-on condition and is used for forming a backward voltage after charging is finished and power is powered off, the power supply treating unit is connected with the inductor and is used for controlling the inductor to be powered on or powered off, the thruster is arranged inside the inductor and is connected with the power supply treating unit and the inductor, when the inductor forms the backward voltage, a pulse voltage is formed between a cathode and the anode of the thruster, the thruster breaks down an insulation layer under the action of the pulse voltage, meanwhile, thecathode is subjected to vapor formation to form plasma, and the plasma is led out under a magnetic field formed by the inductor to form reaction thrust. According to the system, the thruster is arranged in the inductor, the magnetic field formed when the inductor is powered on is used as the magnetic field for guiding and accelerating ions, an excitation circuit of the thruster is omitted, the total mass and total size of the micro-cathode arc thruster propulsion system are reduced, so that the thrust-weight ratio of the thruster is improved.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of electric propulsion, in particular to a micro-cathode arc propulsion system. Background technique [0002] The microcathode arc thruster has become an ideal type of electric propulsion for micro-nano-satellites due to its advantages of micro-power, high efficiency, high specific impulse, wide-range controllability, and low cost. It can be applied to the orbit maintenance and Formation flight and other missions. The traditional electric propulsion system consists of two parts, the Paralleling and Protection Unit (PPU) and the excitation circuit. The function of the PPU is to provide a pulse voltage of hundreds of volts for the thruster. Its working principle is: adopt the inductive energy storage method , powered by a 20V DC power supply, the charging and discharging of the inductor is controlled by an insulated gate bipolar transistor (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor, referred to as IGBT). When the swi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In addition, the micro-cathode arc thruster requires a larger magnetic field to achieve the best performance, resulting in more turns of the excitation coil, and a larger volume and mass of the coil

These factors restrict the miniaturization of the thruster, resulting in that the thrust-to-weight ratio of the propulsion system cannot be further improved

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