Optimization of discharge triggering in micro-cathode vacuum arc thruster for CubeSats

被引:27
|
作者
Zolotukhin, D. B. [1 ,2 ]
Keidar, M. [1 ]
机构
[1] George Washington Univ, 800 22nd St Northwest, Washington, DC 20052 USA
[2] Tomsk State Univ Control Syst & Radioelect, 40 Lenina Ave, Tomsk 634050, Russia
来源
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | 2018年 / 27卷 / 07期
关键词
vacuum arc thrusters; plasma propulsion; micro-cathode thruster lifetime;
D O I
10.1088/1361-6595/aacdb0
中图分类号
O35 [流体力学]; O53 [等离子体物理学];
学科分类号
070204 ; 080103 ; 080704 ;
摘要
The ignition and optimization of the pulsed micro-cathode triggerless vacuum arc thruster model are analyzed. To this end a simplified model of the thruster consisting of two rectangular electrodes on an alumina ceramic plate with a variable inter-electrode gap covered by a conductive film of carbon paint is considered. It is shown that after optimizing the inter-electrode gap, the electrical power and the value of the magnetic field parallel to the film surface, such an `idealized' thruster model can provide up to 1.2-1.3 million pulses with a high degree of stability of ignition and a large amplitude of arc current. These findings may be used in designing long-life and durable low-power micro-cathode thrusters with rigidly fixed, unmovable electrodes. We also propose the concept of a modular thruster consisting of separate elementary consumable thrusters-the modular thruster lifetime increases with the number of these elementary thrusters.
引用
收藏
页数:9
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