Effect of nozzle geometry on the resistojet exhaust plume

Five nozzle configurations were used to study the effect of geometry on the plume structure of a resistojet exhausting into a vacuum. Mass flux data in the forward and back flux regions were obtained with a cryogenically cooled quartz crystal microbalance. The propellant used was CO2 at 300 K and a mass flow rate of 0.2 g/s. The data reveal that the percent of mass flow contained within half angles of 10, 30, and 40 deg varied by less than 12 percent from a standard 20 deg half-angle cone nozzle.