Open AccessFactors Affecting Ion Thruster’s Performance
Author(s) -
wen jing liu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of electronic and information systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2661-3204
DOI - 10.30564/jeisr.v3i2.3678
Subject(s) - ion thruster , ion , foil method , electrically powered spacecraft propulsion , propulsion , aerospace engineering , radius , voltage , physics , materials science , atomic physics , mechanics , electrical engineering , engineering , computer science , computer security , quantum mechanics , composite material
In this project, we investigated how ion thrusters produce propulsion and how the design of ion thrusters affects the performance of the thruster. In the experiment, we build a high voltage power supply (0- 50 kV) and foil rings to produce ion wind. When considering the design of the thruster, we focus on three variables: the volume of the space, where ions are produced and the electric field intensity. Thus, to investigate the first variable we made foil rings with different radius and change the distance between the ring and positive cathode. To determine the propulsion produced we use a speed sensor to determine the magnitude of the wind produced.