THE GLOW DISCHARGE AS AN ADVANCED PROPULSION DEVICE
Abstract
The generation of thrust directly from electric power through a gaseous discharge is investigated with a one dimensional model. The thrust consists of 2 parts, the electric pressure and the electric wind. In terms of the ionization constants of gases and of the mobility constants of ions and electrons, both the electric pressure and the electric wind are obtained in simple dimensionless form. At low gas pressures, the thrust contribution from electric pressure is usually much larger than that from electric wind. The latter may be of comparable magnitudes or even much larger at higher (atmospheric) discharge press res and larger inter-electrode distances. The over-all thrust level is proportional to the gas pressure in the discharge (P) squared. For p = 1 mm Hg, the thrust is less than or about equal to 1 dyne/ sq cm. The specific thrust/unit power is no greater than 10 mg wt/kw. Thrust is derived from electric wind at a much larger specific power consumption. The low specific thrust rules out using such a propulsion system as a booster. For application in outer space, it suffers from the limited specific impulse because propellant gas must be carried aboard. The system has other interesting applications such as a positive control device for hypersonic vehicles at an altitude of 100-200 x 10,000 ft.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0265834
Entities
People
- S. I. Cheng