Ion propulsion
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Availability: Available in document 19960020642 on p. 95-97, or for help Contact the Information Desk
Author and Affiliation:
Meserole, J. S. (Center for Advanced Space Propulsion, Tullahoma, TN United States)
Keefer, Dennis (Center for Advanced Space Propulsion, Tullahoma, TN United States)
Ruyten, Wilhelmus (Center for Advanced Space Propulsion, Tullahoma, TN United States)
Peng, Xiaohang (Center for Advanced Space Propulsion, Tullahoma, TN United States)
Abstract: An ion engine is a plasma thruster which produces thrust by extracting ions from the plasma and accelerating them to high velocity with an electrostatic field. The ions are then neutralized and leave the engine as high velocity neutral particles. The advantages of ion engines are high specific impulse and efficiency and their ability to operate over a wide range of input powers. In comparison with other electric thrusters, the ion engine has higher efficiency and specific impulse than thermal electric devices such as the arcjet, microwave, radiofrequency and laser heated thrusters and can operate at much lower current levels than the MPD thruster. However, the thrust level for an ion engine may be lower than a thermal electric thruster of the same operating power, consistent with its higher specific impulse, and therefore ion engines are best suited for missions which can tolerate longer duration propulsive phases. The critical issue for the ion engine is lifetime, since the prospective missions may require operation for several thousands of hours. The critical components of the ion engine, with respect to engine lifetime, are the screen and accelerating grid structures. Typically, these are large metal screens that must support a large voltage difference and maintain a small gap between them. Metallic whisker growth, distortion and vibration can lead to arcing, and over a long period of time ion sputtering will erode the grid structures and change their geometry. In order to study the effects of long time operation of the grid structure, we are developing computer codes based on the Particle-In-Cell (PIC) technique and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) diagnostic techniques to study the physical processes which control the performance and lifetime of the grid structures.
Publication Date: October 31, 1995
Document ID:
19960020653
(Acquired June 02, 1996)
Accession Number: 96N71236
Subject Category: SPACECRAFT PROPULSION AND POWER
Document Type: Technical Report
Publication Information: SEE parent document record, "Center for Advanced Space Propulsion"; p. 95-97; NASA-CR-199689
Financial Sponsor: NASA Headquarters; Washington, DC, United States
Organization Source: Center for Advanced Space Propulsion; Tullahoma, TN United States
Description: 3p; In English
Distribution Limits: Unclassified; Publicly available; Unlimited
Rights: No Copyright
NASA Terms: ION ENGINES; ION PROPULSION; COMPUTATIONAL GRIDS; ELECTRIC PROPULSION; PROPULSION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE; PROPULSIVE EFFICIENCY; COMPUTER PROGRAMS; NEUTRAL PARTICLES; PARTICLE IN CELL TECHNIQUE; SPECIFIC IMPULSE; ELECTRIC FIELDS; LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE
