Electric solid propellants are advanced solid chemical rocket propellants that can be controlled (ignited, throttled and extinguished) through the application and removal of an electric current. These propellants may also be used for electric in-space propulsion, specifically in the ablative pulsed plasma thruster. In this paper, we will investigate the performance of an electric solid propellant operating in an ablation-fed pulsed plasma device by use of an inverted pendulum micro-Newton thrust stand. Namely, the impulse-per-pulse and the specific impulse of the device using the electric solid propellant will be reported for test runs of 100 pulses and energy levels of 5, 10, 15 and 20 J. Further, the device will also be tested using the current state-of-the-art pulsed plasma thruster propellant, polytetrafluoroethylene. The performance of each propellant will be compared for each energy level using an identical setup and apparatus. This comparison of performance between propellants in a controlled setting will allow for better understanding of previous experimental observations.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Performance Measurements of Electric Solid Propellant in an Ablative Pulsed Electric Thruster


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum and Exposition ; 2019 ; Indianapolis, IN


    Publication date :

    2019-08-19


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English