Propulsion mechanisms in a helicon plasma thruster
Name
300290037-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
25.6 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e7efe1adf661563e6ce6a3580786665c
Author(s)
Sinenian, Nareg
Advisor(s)
Ronald R. Parker and Oleg V. Batishchev.
Date Issued
2008
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Electric thrusters offer an attractive option for various in-space propulsion tasks due to their high thrust efficiencies. The performance characteristics of a compact electric thruster utilizing a helicon plasma source is investigated with the goal of identifying potential thrust mechanisms. Performance characteristics such as thrust, specific impulse, ion cost and thrust efficiency are discussed and related to plasma parameters. The design and fabrication of a prototype compact helicon thruster is presented, including design of a radio-frequency power delivery system, electromagnets and a propellant flow system. The design of plasma diagnostics and associated measurement techniques are discussed including a retarding potential analyzer, mach probes and langmuir probes. These diagnostics are used to measure plasma properties such as electron temperature, plasma density, and ion flow velocities. Thruster performance characteristics are then derived from these measurement results. Significant ion acceleration is demonstrated in both Argon and Nitrogen plasmas and potential mechanisms for this are discussed.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-110).
Subjects
Nuclear Science and Engineering.
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
