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Impulse Measurements of Electric Solid Propellant in an Electrothermal Ablation-Fed Pulsed Plasma ThrusterElectric solid propellants are advanced solid chemical rocket propellants that can be controlled (ignited, throttled and extinguished) through the application and removal of an electric current. These propellants are also being considered for use in the ablative pulsed plasma thruster. In this paper, the performance of an electric solid propellant operating in an electrothermal ablation-fed pulsed plasma thruster was investigated using an inverted pendulum micro-Newton thrust stand. The impulse bit and specific impulse of the device using the electric solid propellant were measured for short-duration test runs of 100 pulses and longer-duration runs to end-of-life, at energy levels of 5, 10, 15 and 20 J. Also, the device was operated using the current state-of-the-art ablation-fed pulsed plasma thruster propellant, polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. Impulse bit measurements for PTFE indicate 100±20 μN-s at an initial energy level of 5 J, which increases linearly by ~30 μN-s/J with increased initial energy. Measurements of the impulse bit for the electric solid propellant are on average lower than PTFE by 10% or less. Specific impulse for when operating on PTFE is calculated to be about 450 s compared to 225 s for the electric solid propellant. The 50% reduction in specific impulse is due to increased mass ablated during operation with the electric solid propellant relative to PTFE.
Document ID
20190030438
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Glascock, Matthew S.
(Missouri Univ. Rolla, MO, United States)
Rovey, Joshua L.
(Illinois Univ. at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, United States)
Polzin, Kurt A.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
September 4, 2019
Publication Date
August 19, 2019
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
M19-7557
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum and Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Country: United States
Start Date: August 19, 2019
End Date: August 22, 2019
Sponsors: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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