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Performance evaluation of the prototype model next ion thruster
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Soulas, George C. Herman, Daniel A. Patterson, Michael J. |
| Copyright Year | 2008 |
| Description | The performance testing results of the first prototype model NEXT ion engine, PM1, are presented. The NEXT program has developed the next generation ion propulsion system to enhance and enable Discovery, New Frontiers, and Flagship-type NASA missions. The PM1 thruster exhibits operational behavior consistent with its predecessors, the engineering model thrusters, with substantial mass savings, enhanced thermal margins, and design improvements for environmental testing compliance. The dry mass of PM1 is 12.7 kg. Modifications made in the thruster design have resulted in improved performance and operating margins, as anticipated. PM1 beginning-of-life performance satisfies all of the electric propulsion thruster mission-derived technical requirements. It demonstrates a wide range of throttleability by processing input power levels from 0.5 to 6.9 kW. At 6.9 kW, the PM1 thruster demonstrates specific impulse of 4190 s, 237 mN of thrust, and a thrust efficiency of 0.71. The flat beam profile, flatness parameters vary from 0.66 at low-power to 0.88 at full-power, and advanced ion optics reduce localized accelerator grid erosion and increases margins for electron backstreaming, impingement-limited voltage, and screen grid ion transparency. The thruster throughput capability is predicted to exceed 750 kg of xenon, an equivalent of 36,500 hr of continuous operation at the full-power operating condition. |
| File Size | 858399 |
| Page Count | 25 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20080012739 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t4xh4kf6q |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2008-02-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Nasa Programs Electric Propulsion Electric Potential Performance Tests Prototypes Xenon Ion Propulsion Ion Engines Specific Impulse Thrust Ion Optics Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
