High Specific Impulse Thermal Arc Jet Thrustor Technology

Abstract

A thrustor was tested in a high vacuum (.0000001 torr) with lithium as a propellant, an identical thrustor was evaluated with potassium as the propellant with a wide variation of operating parameters, and improvements were made to the alkali metal feed system and the thrust measurement system. The high-vacuum tests essentially duplicated the performance of the lithium thrustor (Isp = 5000 sec, eta sub T = 53%) measured at the higher pressure of .001 torr during a 10-hour endurance test. The efficiency and maximum specific impulse of the thrustor with potassium were lower than with lithium.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0474103

Entities

People

  • G. L. Cann
  • L. R. Gallagher
  • P. F. Jacobs
  • R. A. Moore

Organizations

  • Xerox

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Alkali Metals
  • Electric Discharges
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Electron Emission
  • Emission
  • Energy
  • Geometry
  • Heat Transfer
  • High Vacuum
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Magnet Coils
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Metals
  • Specific Heat
  • Specific Impulse

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Materials Science and Engineering.