NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) : Evaluation pdf

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) : Evaluation

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This paper evaluates the concept of pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) micropulsing. Micropulsing was a premise behind a power processing unit (PPU) and an energy storage unit (ESU) design that for certain mission profiles, it was advantageous to operate a PPT at lower energy but higher frequency rather than at a higher energy but lower frequency. This premise allows for reductions in the ESU volume and mass without paying a penalty in thrust. To complete the evaluation, an independent spark plug initiation unit, a high voltage power supply and a variety of mica foil capacitors at 2.6, 5, 10, and 20 capacitance were used to conduct a series of tests on a single PPT to map performance levels of thrust, impulse bit, efficiency and specific impulse over a comparable power range. Testing at NASA Glenn Research Center was conducted with breadboard PPT hardware. The test results showed that operating in the lower energy ESU micropulsing mode produced similar thrust levels to a higher energy ESU operating at high power level.

Further testing however showed a reduction in specific impulse and efficiency when the smaller capacitances were used at the highest power levels. This would require more fuel mass for a mission that was predominately high power, potentially negating the ESU mass savings. Therefore, micropulsing is advantageous where most of a mission profile occurs at low power, but retains the ability to conduct high thrust maneuvers when necessary

• Creator/s: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS
• Date: 8/1/2004
• Year: 2004
• Book Topics/Themes: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), PULSED PLASMA THRUSTERS, CAPACITANCE, FABRICATION, FREQUENCY CONTROL, ELECTRIC PULSES, ENERGY STORAGE, HIGH VOLTAGES, SPARK PLUGS, SPECIFIC IMPULSE, CAPACITORS, VACUUM CHAMBERS, ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLIES, Arrington, Lynn

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