The performance of an 8-cm ion thruster has been extended to 32-mN thrust, 4062-s specific impulse, and 0.033-mN/W thrust-to-power ratio. The design of this thruster is similar to the IAPS (Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System), which has a performance of 5-mN thrust, 3500-s specific impulse, and 0.036-mN/W thrust-to-power ratio. The above level of extended performance has been achieved by increasing the discharge power, ion-beam accelerating voltage, and propellant flowrate, and by modifying the propellant-vapor injection, discharge-chamber magnetic-field strength, high-voltage insulators, and electron baffle. This paper describes results obtained in characterizing the extended-performance operation of both the unmodified thruster (i.e., in an IAPS-like configuration) and the modified thruster. Lifetime-estimating measurements for the modified thruster at extended-performance conditions are also presented.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Extended-performance 8-cm ion thruster operation


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, and DGLR, International Electric Propulsion Conference ; 1982 ; New Orleans, LA


    Publication date :

    1982-11-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Extended-performance 8-cm ion thruster operation

    WESSEL, F. / WILLIAMSON, W. / DULGEROFF, C. | AIAA | 1982


    Extended-performance thruster technology evaluation

    Beattie, J. R. / Poeschel, R. L. / Bechtel, R. T. | NTRS | 1978


    Extended-performance thruster technology evaluation

    BEATTIE, J. / POESCHEL, R. / BECHTEL, R. | AIAA | 1978


    Extended performance 8-cm mercury ion thruster

    Mantenieks, M. A. | NTRS | 1982