A new 100 kW, gas-fed, applied field magneto-plasma-dynamic thruster has been designed, manufactured and preliminarily tested at Alta. The thruster configuration has been selected on the basis of the most efficient models from the literature, with multichannel hollow cathode and flared anode. The thruster has been tested in quasi-steady conditions with pulse duration of 500 ms at currents up to 2700 A, with argon mass flow rates ranging from 60 to 120 mg/s and applied magnetic field from 50 to 120 mT. By using a new thrust balance developed at Alta, the thrust has been measured in real time during any pulse. The thruster has been also conceived to test a plasma instability control technique, based on the application of a conductive shell around the anode. In order to characterize the magnetic field topology during the discharge with and without the shell, an array of nonintrusive high frequency magnetic field probes has been integrated in the anode body.
Experimental Study of a 100-kW class Applied-Field MPD Thruster
PAGANUCCI, FABRIZIO;ANDRENUCCI, MARIANO;
2011-01-01
Abstract
A new 100 kW, gas-fed, applied field magneto-plasma-dynamic thruster has been designed, manufactured and preliminarily tested at Alta. The thruster configuration has been selected on the basis of the most efficient models from the literature, with multichannel hollow cathode and flared anode. The thruster has been tested in quasi-steady conditions with pulse duration of 500 ms at currents up to 2700 A, with argon mass flow rates ranging from 60 to 120 mg/s and applied magnetic field from 50 to 120 mT. By using a new thrust balance developed at Alta, the thrust has been measured in real time during any pulse. The thruster has been also conceived to test a plasma instability control technique, based on the application of a conductive shell around the anode. In order to characterize the magnetic field topology during the discharge with and without the shell, an array of nonintrusive high frequency magnetic field probes has been integrated in the anode body.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
