Correlation Method of Average Plasma Velocity Measurement in Hall-Effect Thrusters

A new method to measure the average plasma velocity in a Hall-effect thruster is presented. The method is brought forward in virtue of the characteristics of low frequency oscillation induced by the propellant ionization in the channel and the oriented movement feature of the plasma density out of the channel. The method, equivalent to the correlation method generally used in the signal processing field, provides a solution to the problem of specific impulse measurement on a timescale of hundreds of microseconds and makes the time evolution of average plasma velocity clear. The comparison between the measured value and the calibrated value shows that the relative error is about 3%.

Measurement of the Plasma Rotation Velocity by Using Visible Spectrum on HL-1M Mokamak

The plasma rotation velocity were measured in HL-1M with Doppler shifts of CⅢ、 C Ⅱ、 O Ⅱ and H. line by a SKD high resolution spectrometer. The effects .of density' hydrogen pellet injection and carbon impurities injected by laser-blow-off on toroidal(V) and poloidal (Vθ)rotation velocity have been observed. The Vθ measured from H. line is only half of that from C Ⅱ impurity line.

Effects of anode material on the evolution of anode plasma and characteristics of intense electron beam diode

In this paper,three kinds of materials including graphite,titanium(Ti)and molybdenum(Mo)are used as anodes to figure out the influence factors of anode material on the characteristics of the intense electron beam diode.The results show that the characteristics of diode are mainly determined by the cathode plasma motion under a 15 mm diode gap,in which the typical electron beam parameters are 280 kV,3.5 kA.When the diode gap is reduced to 5 mm,the voltage of the electron beam reduces to about 200 kV,and its current increases to more than 8.2 kA.It is calculated that the surface temperatures of Ti and Mo anodes are higher than their melting points.The diode plasma luminescence images show that Ti and Mo anodes produce plasmas soon after the bombardment of electron beams.Ti and Mo lines are respectively found in the plasma composition of Ti and Mo anode diodes.Surface melting traces are also observed on Ti and Mo anodes by comparing the micromorphologies before and after bombardment of the electron beam.These results suggest that the time of anode plasma generation is closely related to the anode material.Compared with graphite,metal Ti and Mo anodes are more likely to produce large amounts of plasma due to their more significant temperature rise effect.According to the moment that anode plasma begins to generate,the average expansion velocities of cathode and anode plasma are estimated by fitting the improved space-charge limited flow model.This reveals that generation and motion of the anode plasma significantly affect the characteristics of intense electron beam diode.

Study on Performance Parameters of the Plasma Source for a Short-Conduction-Time Plasma Opening Switch

Plasma source performance parameters, including plasma ejection density and velocity, greatly affect the operation of a short-conduction-time plasma opening switch （POS）. In this paper, the plasma source used in the POS of Qiangguang I generator is chosen as the study object. At first the POS working process is analyzed. The result shows that the opening performance of the POS can be improved by increasing the plasma ejection velocity and decreasing the plasma density. The influence of the cable plasma gun structure and number on the plasma ejection parameters is experimentally investigated with two charge collectors. Finally a semi-empirical model is proposed to describe the experimental phenomenon.

A measure of ionospheric irregularities:zonal velocity and its implications for L-band scintillation at low-latitudes

We estimate the zonal drift velocity of small-scale ionospheric irregularities at low latitude by leveraging the spaced-receivers technique applied to two GNSS receivers for scintillation monitoring installed along the magnetic parallel passing in Presidente Prudente(Brazil,magnetic latitude 12.8°S).The investigated ionospheric sector is ideal to study small-scale irregularities,being located close to the expected position of the southern crest of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly.The measurement campaign took place between September 2013 and February 2014,i.e.equinox and summer solstice seasons under solar maximum,during which the probability of formation of small-scale irregularities is expected to maximize.We found that the hourly average of the velocity increases up to 135 m/s right after the local sunset at ionospheric altitudes and then smoothly decreases in the next hours.Such measurements are in agreement with independent estimations of the velocity made by the Incoherent Scatter Radar located at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory(magnetic latitude 0.1°N),by the Boa Vista Ionosonde(magnetic latitude 12.0°N),and by applying a recently-developed empirical regional short-term forecasting model.Additionally,we investigated the relationship with the percentage occurrence of amplitude scintillation;we report that it is exponentially dependent on the zonal velocity of the irregularities that cause it.

Measurement of Electron Density and Ion Collision Frequency with Dual Assisted Grounded Electrode DBD in Atmospheric Pressure Helium Plasma Jet

The properties of a helium atmospheric-pressure plasma jet（APPJ）are diagnosed with a dual assisted grounded electrode dielectric barrier discharge device.In the glow discharge,we captured the current waveforms at the positions of the three grounded rings.From the current waveforms,the time delay between the adjacent positions of the rings is employed to calculate the plasma bullet velocity of the helium APPJ.Moreover,the electron density is deduced from a model combining with the time delay and current intensity,which is about 10^（11）cm^（-3）.In addition,The ion-neutral particles collision frequency in the radial direction is calculated from the current phase difference between two rings,which is on the order of 10~7 Hz.The results are helpful for understanding the basic properties of APPJs.

Parametric Optimization of Electrothermal-chemical (ETC) Launchers

The research on a 30 mm electrothermal-chemical (ETC) gun including theoretical simulation and experimental results is presented in this paper. The predictions of the theoretical model which is composed of three parts (i.e., pulse forming network, plasma generator and interior ballistics) are in good agreement with the experiments. In addition, we have performed some liquid propellant and solid propellant experiments, respectively. Among the solid propellant experiments, we have investigated the ignition modes of propellant and high velocity launchers. As a result, the 25 : 75 mixture of octane and hydrogen peroxide has a better effect than other liquid propellants. When the propellants are ignited nearby the bottom of projectile in chamber by using an ullage tube connected with the plasma generator, the kinetic energy of projectile will increase, while the chamber pressure will decrease. With a total input electrical energy of 180 kJ, the exit velocity of projectile is up to 2.1 km/s or so.