Propellant Losses Because of Particulate Emission in a Pulsed Plasma Thruster

Abstract

Propellant inefficiency material in particulate form is characterized in a laboratory pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) operating at 1 Hz with a 204 discharge energy (20 W). Exhaust deposits are collected and analyzed using a combination of a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray analysis and microscopic imaging. Teflon(trademark) particulates are observed with characteristic dianietens ranging from over 100 micrometers down to less than 1 micrometer.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA410892

Entities

People

  • Gregory G. Spanjers
  • Jason S. Lotspeich
  • Keith A. Mcfall
  • Ronald A. Spores

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Electric Propulsion
  • Electron Microscopes
  • Emission
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Particles
  • Particulates
  • Propellants
  • Pulsed Plasma Thrusters
  • Spacecraft
  • Thrusters

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster