Life test research of a high specific impulse Hall thruster HEP-140MF

In this study,a high specific impulse Hall thruster,HEP-140 MF,having a high discharge voltage,was used to accelerate ions.We aimed to obtain a high specific impulse and an acceleration zone moving downstream toward the channel exit to reduce wall sputtering erosion of the walls of the discharge channel,hence ensuring an enhanced lifetime.To study the lifetime characteristics of the high specific impulse Hall thruster,a life test was performed on the HEP-140 MF thruster for the first time,and performance parameters,such as thrust,specific impulse,and efficiency,were measured.Changes in the performance parameters and evolutions in the surface profiles of the discharge channel wall were summarized.The reasons contributing to these changes during the life test were analyzed.Moreover,the accelerated life test method was validated on the HEP-140 MF.

Effects of ignition voltage and electrode structure on electric ignition and combustion characteristics of Ammonium Dinitramide(ADN)-based liquid propellants in electric ignition mode in inert gas environment

Hydrazine is toxic and carcinogenic, which greatly increases the difficulty of application and no longer meets the needs of green aerospace. As a green propellant, the Ammonium Dinitramide(ADN)-based liquid propellant has the advantages of higher specific impulse, being non-toxic,pollution-free, and easy storage. However, an ADN-based space engine in orbit has exposed the problems of high-temperature deactivation of catalysts and cold-start failure. An active ignition technology—electric ignition technology was explored in this paper to break through the technical bottleneck of catalyst deactivation and the inability to a cold start. An experimental system of a constant-volume combustor for the ADN-based liquid propellant based on the electric ignition method was established. The electric ignition and combustion characteristics of the ADN-based liquid propellant in a volume combustor with an electric ignition method were studied. The influencing mechanisms of the ignition voltage and the electrode structure on the electric ignition characteristics of the ADN-based liquid propellant were investigated. An elevation of the ignition voltage could facilitate the ignition process of the ADN-based liquid propellant, curtail electric energy input and heating effect, while exerting an adverse impact on the combustion process of the propellant.An increase in the ignition voltage enhanced the ignition process of the propellant while simultaneously suppressing its combustion process when utilizing mesh electrodes. Compared to the strip electrodes, the mesh electrodes increased the contact area between the electrodes and the propellant,increased the electric energy input power in the electric ignition process, and reduced the ignition delay time. The mesh electrodes could promote the combustion process of the propellant to a certain extent.

Influences of characteristic parameters on starting-up process of an arcjet thruster

Arcjet thruster has been a widely used electrical propulsion technology on GEO satellites since 1993.In its long history of technical development and commercial application,lifetime verification of an arcjet thruster is always one of the most important and expensive tasks.Considering that the main life limitation of an arcjet thruster is electrode ablation and a significant share of the total ablation happens in its starting-up process,the starting-up process is studied with arc voltage signals.Through interpretation of arc voltage signals,the transfer process of the arc root on the anode surface is identified,and?T(the duration of the arc root transfer process)is suggested to be a characteristic parameter for fast evaluation of lifetime assessment and design optimization for an arcjet thruster.With this criterion,the influences of typical parameters on the starting-up process are established through comparison with a benchmark parameter.According to experimental results,an increase of the gas flow will obviously reduce?T,while a smaller swirl aperture and a longer throat channel do not have a remarkable correlation with?T.Moreover,with a sample of a smaller throat diameter to increase the flow velocity,a reduction of?T is achieved.Meanwhile,the modifications also affect the stability of arcjet thruster operation,which is also discussed.