Ion-Neutral Propulsion in Atmospheric Media

A basic theoretical and experimental investigation of an aerodynamic corona discharge propulsion system is presented. A one-dimensional, constant-area analytical model with multiple point, space-charge-limited emission of negative ions is considered. Explicit relations expressing performance are derived for this system. Experimental results verify the validity of the theoretical expressions and indicate that the energy conversion efficiency leading to propulsion is approximately 1%. The experiments further indicate that the remaining energy manifests itself in the form of heat. Ion mobility is found to be the most decisive factor in determining system performance. Results suggest that future studies should be directed toward lowering the effective ion mobility to achieve an acceptable level of propulsive power efficiency.

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