Sectioned-anode pulse plasma thruster with high specific impulse

Abstract

The invention relates to a sectioned-anode pulse plasma thruster with a high specific impulse. The sectioned-anode pulse plasma thruster with the high specific impulse comprises a cathode, an anode, an electric arc, a spark plug, a propellant, an energy storage capacitor, a power supply, a ground, and an insulation block, wherein the insulation block divides the anode into an upstream anode and adownstream anode; the power supply charges the energy storage capacitor, and the two ends of the energy storage capacitor are connected with the cathode and the upstream anode separately; the spark plug generates electrons to trigger the electric arc, and the electric arc is struck from the cathode to the upstream anode along the surface of the propellant; the upstream anode is connected with thedownstream anode through a conductive wire; and plasmas obtained through ionization on the surface of the propellant are ejected in an accelerated manner under the electromagnetic force action of theupstream anode and the downstream anode to form a thrust. According to the sectioned-anode pulse plasma thruster with the high specific impulse, the sectioned anode is adopted, so that limit on the electric arc and increasing for a local current density are realized; and a migration phenomenon of the electric arc is prevented by arranging the insulation block in front of an attachment point of theelectric arc, and a high temperature and a high current density of the surface of the propellant can be continuously kept, so that the thrust, specific impulse, ablation amount and efficiency of thethruster are increased.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention belongs to the field of electric propulsion plasma applications, and relates to a segmented anode high specific impulse pulse plasma thruster. Background technique [0002] Electric propulsion is a kind of advanced propulsion method that uses electric energy to directly heat the propellant or ionizes and accelerates the propellant to obtain propulsion power. It has high specific impulse, thrust and efficiency. It has broad application prospects in space missions such as space navigation and interstellar navigation. [0003] Pulse plasma thruster is a kind of electromagnetic thruster, which has been widely used in the main propulsion system of satellites and deep space probes. Optimizing the performance parameters of pulsed plasma thrusters, including specific impulse, efficiency, and thrust, is the fundamental task of engine design, and it is also of great significance to expand the future applications of pulsed plasma thrusters. Among ...

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Problems solved by technology

Among them, the optimization of the thruster electrode structure is a relatively common method, but the optimization effect is not ideal. Due to the short discharge time (10μs) of the pulsed plasma thruster and the acceleration mechanism is not clear, there is no reasonable electrode optimization at present. Program

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