2018-05-02
The Effect of the Discharge Chamber Structure on the Performance of a 5 cm -Diameter ECR Ion Thruster
By
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Letters, Vol. 75, 91-96, 2018
Abstract
Design and experimental optimization of a 5 cm-diameter electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) Ion Thruster was carried out. The experimental results with the shorten discharge chamber demonstrated that its maximum efficiency, specific impulse, and thrust were 38%, 4300 s, 2.3 mN with the power of 130 W, respectively. The beam current was increased with the increment of the propellant flow rate and screen grid voltage. In addition, the performance of the thruster was associated with the distance of the antenna and screen grid. However, the optimum distance depended on the input microwave power which was about 20 W.
Citation
Yujun Ke, Xinfeng Sun, Yong Zhao, and Xuekang Chen, "The Effect of the Discharge Chamber Structure on the Performance of a 5 cm -Diameter ECR Ion Thruster," Progress In Electromagnetics Research Letters, Vol. 75, 91-96, 2018.
doi:10.2528/PIERL18030703
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