In theory, magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thrusters could produce extremely high specific impulses isp with an exhaust velocity of up to and beyond 110,000 ms 0. Magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters can have hundreds of times. Magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters are a highperformance electric propulsion concept. Power at the hundreds of kilowatts and megawatt levels would be great for magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters. Velocimetry of cathode particles in a magnetoplasmadynamic. Parma a thesis presented in partial ful llment of the requirements for the degree master of arts approved may 2011 by the graduate supervisory committee. The most powerful type, with selfinduced magnetic elds, operates in steady or quasisteady fashion, and can generate multinewton thrust levels with a few cm diameter compared to about 0.
Examples of mpd thrusters at the top and at the bottom left and a. That may sound like plain old ridiculousness, but lets take a quick look at perhaps one of the simplest forms of. The potential advantages of mpd thrusters compared with electrostatic ion propulsion systems for the applications considered are believed to be. What are the main problems with magneto plasma dynamic. The obtained thrustdistance curves increase to local maximum and then. Hello everybody, i was looking for ways to amplify magnetic fields for some project, but i happened to stuble upon articles about plasma thrusters. I am suggesting that only the material in section 4 of the ion thruster article, electromagnetic or plasma thrusters be merged. This type of thruster generates magnetic fields by passing an electric current through a liquid conductor, such as sea water.
Kimberlin2 1school of aerospace engineering, georgia institute of technology, 270 ferst drive, atlanta, georgia 30332, usa. Mpd thruster is currently the most powerful form of electromagnetic propulsion. Pdf numerical modelling of a selffield magnetoplasmadynamic. The magnetohydrodynamic mhd equations combine the euler equations of gas dynamics. Im going to talk about how we are going to visit other planets in my class. This model was used to predict the effects of scaling on these thrusters. The mpd s ability to efficiently convert megawatts of electric power into thrust makes this technology a prime candidate for economical delivery of lunar and mars cargo, outer planet rendezvous. Using another magnetic field, the liquid can be pushed in a chosen direction, therefore generating thrust. Esaestec, noordwijk, 2200 ag, the netherlands and georg herdrich and stefanos fasoulas.
A theoretical and experimental investigation of the scaling of thrust of appliedfield magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters with geometric and operational parameters is undertaken. The mpd thrust works based on principle of lorentz force. Pdf study on plasma creation and propagation in a pulsed. Scaling of efficiency with applied magnetic field in. The behavior of real selffield mpd thrusters is then described with regard to deviations from the ideal electrical characteristics. Magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thruster design yes, i know the name is scary, but the principles on which it works are relatively simple and are found in items that you use everyday. Typical mpd thruster electrode geometry crosssection 40. The thrust, specific impulse, and efficiency are considered as the main performance indices, while the operating limits are the cathode lifetime, onset phenomenon, and the overfed state of the thruster. Viscous and diffusive effects in magnetoplasmadynamic flows. A highcurrent arc is struck between the anode and cathode, which ionizes and. And seeing how a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster works, i thought. Magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters mpdt, which constitute a very interesting tech. If you came to this point from the ion thruster merge proposal tag discussion link, you are now on the plasma propulsion engine discussion page, in order to centralize the comments to one place. According to this princeton page, mpds could prove an exhaust velocity of up to and beyond 110,000 ms which is triple the value of current xenonbased ion thrusters.
Combining these three force components yields the total force as 140. A lithium vaporizer for a highpower magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thruster is modeled using a parallel approach. Steady state electromagnetic thrusters sfafmpdt oscalable up to mw power range. Modelling of an electromagnetic space propulsion system for pulse. Anode phenomena in a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster are analytically investigated.
Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. The proposed mechanism of operation for this design is not theoretically plausible. Tests were carried out in altas iv10 vacuum facility. Mikellides, chair kyle squires marcus herrmann arizona state university august 2011. Overview on electric propulsion developments at irs. Analytical investigation of anode heat flux in a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster.
A magnetoplasmadynamic thruster is a form of electrically powered spacecraft propulsion which uses the lorentz force to generate thrust. It is sometimes referred to as lorentz force accelerator or mpd arcjet. The magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thruster is an electromagnetic thruster that produces a. A onedimensional, thermalresistive network is developed and used to calculate the required vaporizer length and power as a function of various parameters. Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster in its basic form, the magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thruster consists of an outer anode surrounding a central cathode fig. But im stuck at the moment, i need to know as the questions says which of the thrusters are faster and if magnetoplasmadynamic already have been tested out. Study on plasma creation and propagation in a pulsed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. Parameters analysis of magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. Numerical modelling of a selffield magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. Current transport and onsetrelated phenomena in an mpd.
Pdf an ablative magnetoplasmadynamic ampd thruster is presently being. Generally, a gaseous material is ionized and fed into an acceleration chamber, where the magnetic and electrical fields are created using a power source. Illustration of mpd thruster current, magnetic field, and acceleration forces. Pdf recent magnetoplasmadynamic thruster developments in. Experimental study of a hundredkilowattclass applied.
The particles are then propelled by the lorentz force resulting from the interaction between the current flowing through the plasma and the magnetic field which is either externally applied, or induced by the current out through the exhaust magneotplasmadynamic. The magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thruster is currently the most powerful form of electromagnetic propulsion. Choueiri y electric propulsion and plasma dynamics laboratory eppdyl princeton university, princeton, nj, 08544, usa an investigation of the scaling of thrust e ciency with the applied magnetic eld in applied eld magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters afmpdts is carried out in order to. Measurements were obtained with argon propellant for a variety of currents, mass flow rates, and magnetic field strengths in a power range between 20 and 250 kw. The particles are then propelled by the lorentz force resulting from the interaction between the current flowing through the plasma and t. Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster mpdt schematic with applied and induced fields and currents and electromagnetic forces. This paper introduces a characterisation of the performance indices and operating limits of the self field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. Magnetoplasmadynamic twostage microcathode arc thruster for cubesats d b zolotukhin1,2,3, k p daniels1, s r p bandaru1 and m keidar1 1the george washington university, 800 22nd street, northwest washington, dc 20052, united states of america 2tomsk state university of control systems and radioelectronics, 40 lenin ave. A simple model of ideal selffield mpd thruster is then considered. Pdf nowadays numerical codes are indispensable tools for the research and project phase of electric propulsion systems. Magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters dan lev and edgar y. The prospects for developing and deploying operational high power mpd thrusters are also a. The mpds ability to efficiently convert megawatts of electric power into thrust makes this technology a prime candidate for economical delivery of lunar and mars cargo, outer planet rendezvous, and sample return, and for enabling other bold new ventures in deep space robotic and piloted. Magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thrusters in a mpd thruster a gas is ionised, turned into a plasma and fed into a acceleration chamber, where the interaction between an electrical current in the plasma and the magnetic field produced by electromagnets pushes the plasma up to high speeds.
Review of scientific instruments 86, 0735 2015 velocimetry of cathode particles in a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster discharge plasma j. This is a very challenging goal for power system developers. One of the videoed trials of my mpdt, using argon propellant and a 16unit capacitor bank. Of the different types of this propulsion the appliedfield magnetoplasmadynamic thruster apmpd seems to be the best suited for the power range between 10 and 100 kw. In this work, for the sake of briefness and clarity, only most recent works i. Axial motion the axial motion of the current sheet in the thruster is dynamically described by newton s second law. High power mpd thruster performance measurements nasatm20042226 september 2004 aiaa20043467. Typical mpd thruster electrode geometry crosssection. An experimental investigation of a pulsed, quasisteady, 100kwclass appliedfield magnetoplasmadynamic thruster is discussed. Although hall thrusters have been used on soviet and russian spacecraft since the mid1970s, and there have been a few applications of pulsed plasma thrusters, electromagnetic thrusters are only now entering their era. The mpds ability to efficiently convert megawatts of electric power into thrust makes this technology a prime candidate for economical delivery of lunar and mars cargo, outer planet rendezvous, and sample return, and for enabling other bold new ventures in deep space robotic and piloted planetary exploration.
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