Proposed system design for a 20 kW pulsed electrothermal thrusterA conceptual design is presented for a Pulsed Electrothermal (PET) propulsion system for the Air Force Space Based Radar satellite, which has a mass of 7000 kg. The proposed system boosts the SBR satellite from 150 n.m. to 600 n.m. with a 4 deg plane change, for a total mission Delta v of 1 km/sec. Satellite power available is 50 kW, and 45 kW are used to drive two water-injected 20 kW PET thrusters, delivering 5.6 N thrust to the SBR at 1000 seconds specific impulse. The predicted mission trip time is 15 days. The proposed system consumes 850 kg of water propellant, stored in a central tank and injected with pressurized helium. Component mass estimates based on space-qualified hardware are presented for the propellant handling, power conditioning and thruster subsystems. The estimated total mass is 400 kg and the propulsion system specific mass is alpha = 10 kg/kW. The proposed system efficiency of 0.62 at 1000 seconds specific impulse is supported by experimental performance measurements.
Document ID
19840052415
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Burton, R. L. (GT-Devices Alexandria, VA, United States)
Goldstein, S. A. (GT-Devices Alexandria, VA, United States)
Hilko, B. K. (GT-Devices Alexandria, VA, United States)
Tidman, D. A. (GT-Devices Alexandria, VA, United States)
Winsor, N. K. (GT-Devices, Inc. Alexandria, VA, United States)