Using range of an external magnetic field in the magnetoplasma thruster

Аuthors

Semenikhin S. A.^*, Sysoyev D. V., Tikhonov V. B.

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

*e-mail: riame@sokol.ru

Abstract

A magnetoplasma thrusters using lithium as a working substance are studied in the paper. There are typically two kinds of the magnetoplasma thrusters. One of them is a self-field thruster with magnetic field generated by discharging current and the other ones is an impressed-field thruster with external magnetic field generated by some outer solenoid. As the discharging current and respective power increase a contribution of the external magnetic field to the power decreases.Therefore it is unreasonablу to expend the power on generation of the field fr om some value of the current. An approach is suggested enabling to estimate the upper lim it for the power and current bounding the rational usage area for the external magnetic field. In the case of the steady-state magnetoplasma lithium-fed thruster this boundary takes on a value approximately 300-350 kW.