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Compact and Integrated Liquid Bismuth Propellant Feed SystemOperation of Hall thrusters with bismuth propellant has been shown to be a promising path toward high-power, high-performance, long-lifetime electric propulsion for spaceflight missions [1]. There has been considerable effort in the past three years aimed at resuscitating this promising technology and validating earlier experimental results indicating the advantages of a bismuth-fed Hall thruster. A critical element of the present effort is the precise metering of propellant to the thruster, since performance cannot be accurately assessed without an accurate accounting of mass flow rate. Earlier work used a pre./post-test propellant weighing scheme that did not provide any real-time measurement of mass flow rate while the thruster was firing, and makes subsequent performance calculations difficult. The motivation of the present work is to develop a precision liquid bismuth Propellant Management System (PMS) that provides hot, molten bismuth to the thruster while simultaneously monitoring in real-time the propellant mass flow rate. The system is a derivative of our previous propellant feed system [2], but the present system represents a more compact design. In addition, all control electronics are integrated into a single unit and designed to reside on a thrust stand and operate in the relevant vacuum environment where the thruster is operating, significantly increasing the present technology readiness level of liquid metal propellant feed systems. The design of various critical components in a bismuth PMS are described. These include the bismuth reservoir and pressurization system, 'hotspot' flow sensor, power system and integrated control system. Particular emphasis is given to selection of the electronics employed in this system and the methods that were used to isolate the power and control systems from the high-temperature portions of the feed system and thruster. Open loop calibration test results from the 'hotspot' flow sensor are reported, and results of integrated thruster/PMS tests demonstrate operation of the feed system in the relevant environment.
Document ID
20070031915
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Polzin, Kurt A.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Stanojev, Boris
(Madison Research Corp. Huntsville, AL, United States)
Korman, Valentin
(Madison Research Corp. Huntsville, AL, United States)
Gross, Jeffrey T.
(Alabama Univ. Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
May 14, 2007
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Meeting Information
Meeting: Joint Army, Navy, NASA, Air Force (JANNAF) Propulsion Meeting
Location: Denver, CO
Country: United States
Start Date: May 14, 2007
End Date: May 17, 2007
Sponsors: NASA Headquarters, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: SAA8-061060
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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