Effect of current ripple on cathode erosion in 30 kWe class arcjetsAn investigation was conducted to study the effect of current ripple on cathode erosion in 30 kWe class arcjets to determine the change in the cathode erosion rate for high (11 percent) and low (4 percent) current ripple. The measurements were conducted using a copper-tungsten cathode material to accelerate the cathode erosion process. It is shown that the high ripple erosion rate was initially higher than the low ripple erosion rate, but decreased asymptotically with time to a level less than half that of the low ripple value. Results suggest that high ripple extends the cathode lifetime for long duration operation, and improves arc stability by increasing the cathode attachment area.
Document ID
19910059625
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Harris, William J. (Texas Technological Univ. Lubbock, TX, United States)
O'Hair, Edgar A. (Texas Technological Univ. Lubbock, TX, United States)
Hatfield, Lynn L. (Texas Technological Univ. Lubbock, TX, United States)
Kristiansen, M. (Texas Tech University Lubbock, United States)
Grimes, Montgomery D. (Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, TX, United States)