EP0132065A2 - Elektrisches Triebwerk für den Raumantrieb - Google Patents

Elektrisches Triebwerk für den Raumantrieb Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0132065A2
EP0132065A2 EP84304344A EP84304344A EP0132065A2 EP 0132065 A2 EP0132065 A2 EP 0132065A2 EP 84304344 A EP84304344 A EP 84304344A EP 84304344 A EP84304344 A EP 84304344A EP 0132065 A2 EP0132065 A2 EP 0132065A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
chamber
propellant
grid
thruster
thrust
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP84304344A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0132065A3 (de
Inventor
Peter Smith
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
BAE Systems Electronics Ltd
Original Assignee
Marconi Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Marconi Co Ltd filed Critical Marconi Co Ltd
Publication of EP0132065A2 publication Critical patent/EP0132065A2/de
Publication of EP0132065A3 publication Critical patent/EP0132065A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
    • F03H1/0037—Electrostatic ion thrusters
    • F03H1/0043—Electrostatic ion thrusters characterised by the acceleration grid
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
    • F03H1/0006—Details applicable to different types of plasma thrusters
    • F03H1/0025—Neutralisers, i.e. means for keeping electrical neutrality

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an electric thruster for spacecraft propulsion, the thruster including an ionisation chamber, means for providing propellant in the chamber when thrust is required, means for ionising the propellant in the chamber, a grid at one end of the chamber and means for providing an electrostatic field to accelerate positive propellant ions out of the chamber through the grid as an exhaust beam which gives the required thrust.
  • Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a known electric thruster according to the above description.
  • propellant gas for example xenon
  • a propellant tank 1 through a fill and drain valve 2.
  • the tank 1 feeds a plenum tank 3 with propellant gas at reduced pressure through a solenoid operated valve 4.
  • the plenum tank 3 is monitored with a pressure sensor 5 and feedback control electronics 6 used to operate the valve 4.
  • a solenoid operated thruster inlet valve 7 is opened. Approximately 90% of the propellant gas flowing from the valve 7 is supplied into an ionisation chamber 8 through a main flow assembly inlet 9 connected to a back plate 10 of the chamber 8.
  • Approximately 5% of the propellant gas flowing from the valve 7 is supplied via a first tee junction through a hollow cathode 11 into the chamber 8 and picks up electrons which are emitted by the hollow cathode 11. These electrons are accelerated from the region of a keeper 12 towards an anode 13 by an electrostatic field provided between the keeper and the anode and they ionise the propellant gas supplied from the inlet 9 by a collision process.
  • a series of solenoids 14 (or possibly permanent magnets) provide a magnetic field which causes the electrons to spiral between the keeper 12 and anode 13 so increasing their path length and hence the number of collisions and the ionisation efficiency.
  • a high negative voltage applied to the accelerator grid 16 provides an electrostatic field which accelerates positive propellant ions out of the chamber 8 through the two grids 15 and 16 as an exhaust beam 17 which gives the required thrust.
  • the positive xenon ions have an exhaust velocity of approximately 30Km/s and the thrust produced is approximately lOmN. Accelerator grid and beam supply d.c.
  • power supplies 20, 21 have terminals connected to the spacecraft potential VO provided by the connection SVO to the spacecraft, to the accelerator grid l6.and to the thruster potential VI as shown.
  • Anode and discharge chamber keeper d.c. power supplies 22, 23 have terminals connected to the anode 13, to the keeper 12, and to the thruster potential V1 as shown.
  • a heater 24 for the hollow cathode 11 is also connected to the potential V1.
  • the supplies 20,21,22,23 and the heater 24 are controlled together with the thruster inlet valve 7 from a central processor (not shown) and switched on simultaneously when thrust is required
  • a separate electron emitter known as a neutraliser
  • the neutraliser includes a second tee junction which supplies approximately 5% of the propellant gas flowing from the thruster inlet valve 7 through a second hollow cathode 30 which emits electrons to a second keeper 31.
  • a neutraliser bias d.c.,power supply 32 has one terminal connected to the spacecraft potential V0 and the other terminal provides a neutraliser potential V2.
  • the hollow cathode 30 and keeper 31 are connected to the terminals of a neutraliser keeper d.c. power supply 33 connected to the neutraliser potential V2 and a heater 34- for the hollow cathode 30 is also connected to the neutraliser potential V2.
  • the neutraliser power supplies are also switched on under control of the central processor when thrust is required.
  • One disadvantage of the separate neutraliser just described is the extra cost in providing the second tee junction propellant supply, the second hollow cathode device, and its associated heater and power supplies. Another disadvantage is that hollow cathode electron emitters presently available are inherently rather unreliable devices due to, for example, the use of a heater which could fail and contamination problems.
  • the use of the first hollow cathode device 11, 12 is at present required as part of the preferred means for producing ionisation in the chamber 8,but tne increased risk in using the second hollow cathode device is undesirable for spacecraft where reliability is a prime factor.
  • An object of the invention is substantially to overcome the disadvantages just described.
  • an electric thruster for spacecraft propulsion including an ionisation chamber, means for providing propellant in the chamber when thrust is required, means for ionising the propellant in the chamber, a grid at one end of the chamber and means for providing an electrostatic field to accelerate positive propellant ions out of the chamber through the grid as an exhaust beam which gives the required thrust, characterised in that said means for providing an electrostatic field comprises an alternating voltage supply connected to the grid such that positive propellant ions and negatively charged particles are alternately accelerated out of the chamber through the grid to provide an exhaust beam having a predetermined net electrical charge.
  • the amount of charge contained in the alternating negative and positive sections of the exhaust beam must be equal. Because the electrons are much lighter and more abundant in the ionisation chamber 8 than the positive propellant ions, much shorter electron accelerating periods and much smaller electron accelerating voltages are required than the equivalent positive propellant ion accelerating parameters. As a result a waveform of the type shown in Figure 3 is required to be supplied to the accelerating grid 16 by the alternating voltage power supply 201.
  • V3 and V4 are dependent on the type of propellant, and thruster design, and are therefore well defined for any particular thruster.
  • the periods tl and t2 for which positive propellant ions and electrons respectively are accelerated are less well defined but again depend upon the thruster design.
  • V3 and V4 are -1000V and +5V respectively, and tl is equal to 98% of the waveform period T.
  • Spacecraft tend to become electrically charged for a variety of environmental reasons other than that related to the thruster as described above and this is undesirable. Since a system is normally fitted for measuring spacecraft potential it is envisaged that this system can be linked with means for varying the ratio of tl to t2 so that the exhaust beam of the thruster may have a net positive or negative electrical charge which balances these other spacecraft charging effects and maintains a spacecraft zero potential.
  • molecular compounds may be used as the propellant in the type of electric thruster to which this invention relates, that is to say as described in the first paragraph of this specification.
  • negatively charged particles will be produced in the form of negative ions in the ionisation chamber.
  • this invention is applicable to such use of molecular compound propellants so that positive propellant ions and negatively charged particles are alternately accelerated out of the ionisation chamber to provide an exhaust beam having a predetermined net electrical charge.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Plasma Technology (AREA)
  • Particle Accelerators (AREA)
  • Vehicle Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, Refitting, And Outriggers (AREA)
  • Forklifts And Lifting Vehicles (AREA)
EP84304344A 1983-07-13 1984-06-27 Elektrisches Triebwerk für den Raumantrieb Withdrawn EP0132065A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8318919 1983-07-13
GB8318919 1983-07-13

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0132065A2 true EP0132065A2 (de) 1985-01-23
EP0132065A3 EP0132065A3 (de) 1986-05-28

Family

ID=10545646

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP84304344A Withdrawn EP0132065A3 (de) 1983-07-13 1984-06-27 Elektrisches Triebwerk für den Raumantrieb

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0132065A3 (de)
JP (1) JPS6036787A (de)
GB (1) GB2143281B (de)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1988008488A1 (en) * 1987-04-23 1988-11-03 Hughes Aircraft Company Spacecraft with modulated thrust electrostatic ion thruster and associated method
WO1989005404A1 (en) * 1987-12-11 1989-06-15 Hughes Aircraft Company Electrostatic ion thruster with improved thrust modulation
FR2643421A1 (fr) * 1987-04-27 1990-08-24 Olin Corp Procede et ensemble de commande d'amorcage d'un arc dans un reacteur a arc de propulsion
EP0560742A1 (de) * 1992-03-11 1993-09-15 PROEL TECNOLOGIE S.p.A. Plasmagenerator und dazugehörige Ionisationsvorrichtung
RU2166666C2 (ru) * 1996-02-23 2001-05-10 ТРВ Инк. Система подачи ракетного топлива к маломощному электродуговому реактивному двигателю и способ подачи топлива
EP1621753A1 (de) * 2004-07-21 2006-02-01 United Technologies Corporation Antrieb durch energetische Detonation
WO2007093699A3 (fr) * 2006-02-14 2007-11-15 Claude Poher Dispositif propulseur par acceleration de particules et applications dudit dispositif
CN111878336A (zh) * 2020-07-06 2020-11-03 安徽华东光电技术研究所有限公司 离子推进器
CN111878337A (zh) * 2020-07-06 2020-11-03 安徽华东光电技术研究所有限公司 离子推进器
CN116971947A (zh) * 2022-04-29 2023-10-31 瓦斯里奥斯·霍罗佐格鲁 用于航天器的推进的同步多相交变电流静电离子推力器

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB9016567D0 (en) * 1990-07-27 1990-09-12 Marconi Space Systems Limited Ion thruster vector control
FR2997462B1 (fr) * 2012-10-30 2018-09-14 Safran Aircraft Engines Alimentation d'un propulseur ionique en gaz propulsif
JP6214874B2 (ja) * 2013-01-22 2017-10-18 国立大学法人 東京大学 イオンエンジンのプラズマ着火用ガス供給方法及びシステム
FR3014503B1 (fr) * 2013-12-11 2016-01-01 Snecma Systeme de regulation de debit ameliore pour l'alimentation en fluide propulseur d'un propulseur electrique de vehicule spatial

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2052014A1 (de) * 1970-10-23 1972-04-27 Messerschmitt Boelkow Blohm Ionentriebwerk

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1988008488A1 (en) * 1987-04-23 1988-11-03 Hughes Aircraft Company Spacecraft with modulated thrust electrostatic ion thruster and associated method
US4825646A (en) * 1987-04-23 1989-05-02 Hughes Aircraft Company Spacecraft with modulated thrust electrostatic ion thruster and associated method
FR2643421A1 (fr) * 1987-04-27 1990-08-24 Olin Corp Procede et ensemble de commande d'amorcage d'un arc dans un reacteur a arc de propulsion
WO1989005404A1 (en) * 1987-12-11 1989-06-15 Hughes Aircraft Company Electrostatic ion thruster with improved thrust modulation
EP0560742A1 (de) * 1992-03-11 1993-09-15 PROEL TECNOLOGIE S.p.A. Plasmagenerator und dazugehörige Ionisationsvorrichtung
US5352954A (en) * 1992-03-11 1994-10-04 Proel Technologie S.P.A. Plasma generator and associated ionization method
RU2166666C2 (ru) * 1996-02-23 2001-05-10 ТРВ Инк. Система подачи ракетного топлива к маломощному электродуговому реактивному двигателю и способ подачи топлива
EP1621753A1 (de) * 2004-07-21 2006-02-01 United Technologies Corporation Antrieb durch energetische Detonation
US7246483B2 (en) 2004-07-21 2007-07-24 United Technologies Corporation Energetic detonation propulsion
WO2007093699A3 (fr) * 2006-02-14 2007-11-15 Claude Poher Dispositif propulseur par acceleration de particules et applications dudit dispositif
CN111878336A (zh) * 2020-07-06 2020-11-03 安徽华东光电技术研究所有限公司 离子推进器
CN111878337A (zh) * 2020-07-06 2020-11-03 安徽华东光电技术研究所有限公司 离子推进器
CN116971947A (zh) * 2022-04-29 2023-10-31 瓦斯里奥斯·霍罗佐格鲁 用于航天器的推进的同步多相交变电流静电离子推力器

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2143281A (en) 1985-02-06
GB8416313D0 (en) 1984-08-01
JPS6036787A (ja) 1985-02-25
GB2143281B (en) 1987-03-18
EP0132065A3 (de) 1986-05-28

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Inventor name: SMITH, PETER