Optimization of a coaxial electron cyclotron resonance plasma thruster with an analytical model

A new cathodeless plasma thruster currently under development at Onera is presented and characterized experimentally and analytically. The coaxial thruster consists of a microwave antenna immersed in a magnetic field, which allows electron heating via cyclotron resonance. The magnetic field diverges at the thruster exit and forms a nozzle that accelerates the quasi-neutral plasma to generate a thrust. Different thruster configurations are tested, and in particular, the influence of the source diameter on the thruster performance is investigated. At microwave powers of about 30 W and a xenon flow rate of 0.1 mg/s (1 SCCM), a mass utilization of 60% and a thrust of 1 mN are estimated based on angular electrostatic probe measurements performed downstream of the thruster in the exhaust plume. Results are found to be in fair agreement with a recent analytical helicon thruster model that has been adapted for the coaxial geometry used here.

[1]  I. Mikellides,et al.  Magnetic Shielding of the Channel Walls in a Hall Plasma Accelerator , 2011 .

[2]  A. Aanesland,et al.  Direct measurements of neutral density depletion by two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy , 2007 .

[3]  A. Arefiev,et al.  Ambipolar acceleration of ions in a magnetic nozzle , 2007 .

[4]  Koji Eriguchi,et al.  Microwave-excited microplasma thruster with helium and hydrogen propellants , 2011 .

[5]  A. Gallimore,et al.  Rotating Spoke Instabilities in Hall Thrusters , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[6]  Dmytro Rafalskyi,et al.  Coincident ion acceleration and electron extraction for space propulsion using the self-bias formed on a set of RF biased grids bounding a plasma source , 2014 .

[7]  Boyd Blackwell,et al.  Ion Detachment in the Helicon Double-Layer Thruster Exhaust Beam , 2006 .

[8]  Pascal Chabert,et al.  Space Exploration Technologies Pegases A new promising electric propulsion concept , 2011 .

[9]  T. Lafleur.  Helicon plasma thruster discharge model , 2014 .

[10]  Michael J. Patterson,et al.  Ion Propulsion Development Projects in US: Space Electric Rocket Test I to Deep Space 1 , 2001 .

[11]  C. Charles,et al.  A magnetic nozzle calculation of the force on a plasma , 2012 .

[12]  A. Gallimore,et al.  Performance and Probe Measurements of a Radio-Frequency Plasma Thruster , 2013 .

[13]  Christine Charles,et al.  Plasmas for spacecraft propulsion , 2009 .

[14]  J. Jarrige,et al.  Characterization of a coaxial ECR plasma thruster , 2013 .

[15]  Koji Eriguchi,et al.  Microwave-excited microplasma thruster: a numerical and experimental study of the plasma generation and micronozzle flow , 2008 .

[16]  E. Ahedo,et al.  Helicon thruster plasma modeling: Two-dimensional fluid-dynamics and propulsive performances , 2013 .

[17]  M. Merino,et al.  Plasma detachment in a propulsive magnetic nozzle via ion demagnetization , 2014 .

[18]  Ricky Tang,et al.  Study of the Gasdynamic Mirror (GDM) Propulsion System , 2011 .

[19]  Joel C. Sercel,et al.  Electric thruster models for multimegawatt nuclear electric propulsion mission design , 1991 .

[20]  Maxwell G. Ballenger,et al.  Investigation of Plasma Detachment From a Magnetic Nozzle in the Plume of the VX-200 Magnetoplasma Thruster , 2015, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[21]  C. Charles,et al.  Performance improvement of a permanent magnet helicon plasma thruster , 2013 .

[22]  K. Nishiyama,et al.  Powered Flight of Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Engines on Hayabusa Explorer , 2007 .

[23]  C. Charles,et al.  Spatial retarding field energy analyzer measurements downstream of a helicon double layer plasma , 2008 .

[24]  V. Godyak,et al.  Electron energy distribution function and plasma parameters across magnetic filters , 2012 .

[25]  C. Deline,et al.  Plume detachment from a magnetic nozzle , 2009 .

[26]  Valery Godyak,et al.  Probe measurements of electron-energy distributions in plasmas: what can we measure and how can we achieve reliable results? , 2011 .

[27]  Boris N. Breizman,et al.  Theoretical components of the VASIMR plasma propulsion concept , 2004 .

[28]  Ryan W. Conversano,et al.  Mission Capability Assessment of CubeSats Using a Miniature Ion Thruster , 2013 .

[29]  Vaios Lappas,et al.  Direct thrust measurement of a permanent magnet helicon double layer thruster , 2011 .

[30]  David B. Miller,et al.  EXPERIMENTS WITH AN ELECTRON CYCLOTRON RESONANCE PLASMA ACCELERATOR , 1964 .