A scheme of high frequency ion thruster with reduced discharge chamber curvature

Aeronautical and Space-Rocket Engineering


DOI: 10.34759/vst-2022-3-158-168

Аuthors

Abgarian V. K.*, Kupreeva A. Y.**

Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia

*e-mail: vka.mai@mail.ru
**e-mail: kupreeva.mai@gmail.com

Abstract

High frequency ion thrusters are one of the electric rocket thrusters schemes employed in spacecraft as low thrust engines. Initially, electrojet thrusters were applied for geostationary satellites orbit stabilizing and correcting. Recently, the range of problems being solved in space engineering by dint of the electrojet thrusters has expanded significantly. It is worth noting that such thrusters’ application for bringing satellites into calculated orbits, as well as their successful employing as cruising propulsion systems for implementing missions into deep space, for flights to the Moon and minor planets of the Solar System.

High frequency ion thrusters (HFIT) are the variety of electrojet thrusters. Plasma in the discharge chamber is being sustained by the high frequency electromagnetic field, in contrast to the more world-common Kaufman DC-based scheme, in which plasma is being generated by high-energy electrons injection into the discharge chamber.

Initially, relatively simple configurations were employed for the HFIT structures basic elements, which were the discharge chamber and ion-optical system (IOS) electrodes. In the current practice, the HFITs were of cylindrical, semispherical and conical form, or their combination. The flat IOS electrodes were being selected for the thrusters with the ion beam diameter less than 10 cm. For the thrusters with greater ion beam diameter electrodes with relatively small outward buckling were employed to avoid significant thermoplastic deformation of electrodes of the ion-optical system, being heated by the plasma while the thruster operation. With that, the task of determining the most optimal from the viewpoint of the engine thrust, the plasma volume shape, limited by the surfaces of the discharge chamber and the IOS electrodes was not directly set.

The article proposes employing the discharge chamber with reduced surface curvature and noticeably convex IOS electrodes in the HFIT structure. Numerical model for computing plasma parameters in the HFIT discharge chamber allows setting an optimization problem on determining the best geometry of the discharge chamber and the IOS electrodes. It is being planned to employ the engine thrust, being computed from the calculated basic plasma parameters distributions over the volume, namely electron density and electron temperature, as the optimmization criterion.

Keywords:

electrojet engines, ion engines, high-frequency ion engines, discharge chamber, ion-optical system electrodes, high-frequency inductor, low-temperature plasma

References


  1. Goebel D.M., Katz I. Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion: Ion and Hall Thrusters. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 2008, 526 p.

  2. Grishin S.D., Leskov L.V. Elektricheskie raketnye dvigateli (Electric rocket engines), Moscow, Mashinostroenie, 1989, 216 p.

  3. Popov G.A. Electrical rocket engines-their development in Russia and a contribution of the Moscow Aviation Institute. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2005, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 112-122.

  4. Brown Ian G. The Physics and Technology of Ion Sources, Wiley, 2006, 399 p.

  5. Obukhov V.A., Pokryshkin A.I., Popov G.A., Yashina N.V. The usage of a sustainer electric propulsion system for spacecraft attitude control. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2009, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 30-40.

  6. HAYABUSA. Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA, 2003. URL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa

  7. DEEP SPACE 1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA, 1998. URL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/deep-space-1-ds1

  8. Kaplin M.A., Mitrofanova O.A., Bernikova M.Y. Development of very low-power PlaS-type plasma thrusters. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2021, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 74-85. DOI: 10.34759/vst-2021-1-74-85

  9. Tkachuk A. V., Kozubski K. N., Rumyantsev A.V. Propulsion system with stationary plasma thrusters aboard small spacecraft. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2014, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 49-54.

  10. Morozov A.I. Fizicheskie osnovy kosmicheskikh elektroreaktivnykh dvigatelei. T.1. Elementy dinamiki potokov v ERD (Physical foundations of space electric jet engines. Vol.1. Elements of flow dynamics in the ERD), Moscow, Atomizdat, 1978, 328 p.

  11. Kaufman H.R., Robinson R.S. End-Hall ion source. Patent US 4862032 A, 1986.

  12. Gorshkov O.A., Muravlev V.A., Shagaida A.A. Khollovskie i ionnye plazmennye dvigateli dlya kosmicheskikh apparatov (Hall and ion plasma engines for spacecraft), Moscow, Mashinostroenie, 2008, 280 p.

  13. Dobkevicius M., Feili D. A coupled performance and thermal model for radio-frequency gridded ion thrusters. European Physical Journal D, 2016, vol. 70, no. 11, pp. 227-240. DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2016-70273-7

  14. Van Noord J.L. Next Ion Thruster Thermal Model. 43rd Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit cosponsored by the AIAA, ASME, SAE, and ASEE (08–11 July 2007; Cincinnati, Ohio). NASA/TM–2010-216919. URL: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20110000534/downloads/20110000534.pdf

  15. Vasin A I., Koroteev A.S., Lovtsov A.S. et al. Trudy MAI, 2012, no. 60. URL: https://trudymai.ru/eng/published.php?ID=35335

  16. Leiter H.J., Kuhmann J., Kukies R. et al. Results from the RIT-22 Technology Maturity Demonstration Activity. 50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference (28-30 July 2014; Cleveland, OH). DOI: 10.2514/6.2014-3421

  17. Konstantinov M.S., Petukhov V.G., Löb H.W. Application of RIT-22 thruster for Interhelioprobe mission. Trudy MAI, 2012, no. 60. URL: https://trudymai.ru/published.php?ID=35420

  18. Porst J.-P., Altmann C., Arnold C. et al. The RIT 2X propulsion system: current development status. 35th International Electric Propulsion Conference (08–12 October 2017; Georgia Institute of Technology – Atlanta, Georgia, USA). IEPC-2017-505. URL: http://electricrocket.org/IEPC/IEPC_2017_505.pdf

  19. Löb H.W. Ein elektrostatisches Raketentriebwerk mit Hochfrequenzionenquelle. Astronautica Acta, 1962, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 49–53.

  20. Holste K., Dietz P., Scharmann S. et al. Ion thrusters for electric propulsion: Scientific issues developing a niche technology into a game changer. Review of Scientific Instruments, 2020, vol. 91, no. 6: 061101. DOI: 10.1063/5.0010134

  21. Nigmatzyanov V.V. Vybor parametrov razryadnoi kamery vysokochastotnogo ionnogo dvigatelya (Discharge chamber parameters selection of high-frequency ion engine). Doctor’s thesis, Moscow, MAI, 2017, 142 p.

  22. Kozhevnikov V.V. Issledovanie lokal’nykh parametrov plazmy v razryadnoi kamere vysokochastotnogo ionnogo dvigatelya maloi moshchnosti (Studying local plasma parameters in the discharge chamber of a low-power high-frequency ion thruster). Doctor’s thesis, Moscow, MAI, 2017, 139 p.

  23. Kanev S., Melnikov A., Nazarenko I., Khartov S. Mathematical model of radio-frequency ion thruster with an additional magnetostatic field. 18th International Conference “Aviation and Cosmonautics” (18-22 November 2019; Moscow, Russia). Vol. 868: 012010. DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/868/1/012010

  24. Abgaryan V.K., Mel’nikov A.V. Mogulkin A.I. et al. Materialy XXII Mezhdunarodnoi konferentsii po vychislitel’noi mekhanike i sovremennym prikladnym programmnym sistemam (04-13 September 2021; Alushta, Crimea). Moscow, MAI, 2021, pp. 591-593.

mai.ru — informational site of MAI

Copyright © 1994-2024 by MAI