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Electric thruster research (Document No: 19820016409)
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Kaufman, H. R. Robinson, R. S. |
| Copyright Year | 1981 |
| Description | The multipole discharge chamber of an electrostatic ion thruster is discussed. No reductions in discharge losses were obtained, despite repeated demonstration of anode potentials more positive than the bulk of the discharge plasma. The penalty associated with biased anode operation was reduced as the magnetic integral above the biased anodes was increased. The hollow cathode is discussed. The experimental configuration of the Hall current thruster had a uniform field throughout the ion generation and acceleration regions. To obtain reliable ion generation, it was necessary to reduce the magnetic field strength, to the point where excessive electron backflow was required to establish ion acceleration. The theoretical study of ion acceleration with closed electron drift paths resulted in two classes of solutions. One class has the continuous potential variation in the acceleration region that is normally associated with a Hall current accelerator. The other class has an almost discontinuous potential step near the anode end of the acceleration region. This step includes a significant fraction of the total acceleration potential difference. |
| File Size | 5044499 |
| Page Count | 162 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19820016409 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t8cg4j75x |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1981-12-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Magnetic Flux Hollow Cathodes Electrostatic Engines Discharge Coefficient Ion Engines Hall Effect Plasma Acceleration Electric Current Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports ServerĀ (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |