Stability and optimal design of resilient ion electrospray thrusters
Abstract
The objective of this proposal is based on the realization that a single emitter in electrosprays is actually one thruster and the parallel ring of thrusters should be considered as a clustering of individual thrusters, leading to a new type of ion electrospray thruster composed of a cluster of individual emitters. The last few years have seen signicant activity in the field of electrospray propulsion, by the use of photo-definable micro-fabrication techniques to build the base on which ion-emitting menisci can form consistently and stably. During the first year, they will focus on system design through analyses and simulations and will fabricate prototypes for the emitter elements, determining their electric and flow properties. During the second year they will test these prototypes and characterize their emission and lifetime properties. Also during the second year, they will fabricate clusters of these emitter elements and characterize them as thruster arrays, determining their propulsive performance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 29, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310194
Entities
People
- Paulo Lozano
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- United States Air Force