98 research outputs found
Primary Electric Propulsion Technology Study
An investigation of the 30-cm engineering-model-thruster technology with emphasis placed on the development of models for understanding and predicting the operational characteristics and wear-out mechanisms of the thruster as a function of operating or design parameters is presented. The task studies include: (1) the wear mechanisms and wear rates that determine the useful lifetime of the thruster discharge chamber; (2) cathode lifetime as determined by the depletion of barium from the barium-aluminate-impregnated-porous-tungsten insert that serves as a barium reservoir; (3) accelerator-grid-system technology; (4) a verification of the high-voltage propellant-flow-electrical-isolator design developed under NASA contract NAS3-20395 for operation at 10-kV applied voltage and 10-A equivalent propellant flow with mercury and argon propellants. A model was formulated for predicting performance
Characteristics of 30-centimeter mercury ion thrusters
The technology development of the 30 centimeter J series mercury ion thruster for prime propulsion application in solar electric propulsion systems is described. Thruster design is reviewed. A standardized set of test and data recording procedures formulated to allow for the characterization of the J series thruster is described. Characteristics measured are the magnetic baffle characterization, the neutralizer characterization, perveance, the minimum eV/ion measurement, and the electrical and propellant utilization efficiency measurements. Test results are presented
Electric propulsion - characteristics, applications, and status
A comparative review of the principles of ion thruster and chemical rocket operations is presented. The 30cm mercury ion thruster development and the specifications imposed on it by the Solar Electric propulsion System program are discussed. The 30cm thruster operating range, efficiency, wear out lifetime, and interface requirements are described
Discharge chamber studies for mercury bombardment ion thrusters
Discharge chamber performance optimization for mercury bombardment ion thruster
Ion thruster system (8-cm) cyclic endurance test
This report describes the qualification test of an Engineering-Model 5-mN-thrust 8-cm-diameter mercury ion thruster which is representative of the Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System (IAPS) thrusters. Two of these thrusters are scheduled for future flight test. The cyclic endurance test described herein was a ground-based test performed in a vacuum facility with a liquid-nitrogen-cooled cryo-surface and a frozen mercury target. The Power Electronics Unit, Beam Shield, Gimal, and Propellant Tank that were used with the thruster in the endurance test are also similar to those of the IAPS. The IAPS thruster that will undergo the longest beam-on-time during the actual space test will be subjected to 7,055 hours of beam-on-time and 2,557 cycles during the flight test. The endurance test was successfully concluded when the mercury in the IAPS Propellant Tank was consumed. At that time, 8,471 hours of beam-on-time and 599 cycles had been accumulated. Subsequent post-test-evaluation operations were performed (without breaking vacuum) which extended the test values to 652 cycles and 9,489 hours of beam-on-time. The Power Electronic Unit (PEU) and thruster were in the same vacuum chamber throughout the test. The PEU accumulated 10,268 hr of test time with high voltage applied to the operating thruster or dummy load
Numerical modeling of the wind flow over a transverse dune
Transverse dunes, which form under unidirectional winds and have fixed
profile in the direction perpendicular to the wind, occur on all celestial
objects of our solar system where dunes have been detected. Here we perform a
numerical study of the average turbulent wind flow over a transverse dune by
means of computational fluid dynamics simulations. We find that the length of
the zone of recirculating flow at the dune lee --- the {\em{separation bubble}}
--- displays a surprisingly strong dependence on the wind shear velocity,
: it is nearly independent of for shear velocities within
the range between ms and $0.8\,$ms but increases linearly with
for larger shear velocities. Our calculations show that transport in
the direction opposite to dune migration within the separation bubble can be
sustained if is larger than approximately ms, whereas a
larger value of $u_{\ast}$ (about $0.49\,$ms) is required to initiate this
reverse transport.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Advanced electrostatic ion thruster for space propulsion
The suitability of the baseline 30 cm thruster for future space missions was examined. Preliminary design concepts for several advanced thrusters were developed to assess the potential practical difficulties of a new design. Useful methodologies were produced for assessing both planetary and earth orbit missions. Payload performance as a function of propulsion system technology level and cost sensitivity to propulsion system technology level are among the topics assessed. A 50 cm diameter thruster designed to operate with a beam voltage of about 2400 V is suggested to satisfy most of the requirements of future space missions
Towards the Gravity Dual of Quarkonium in the Strongly Coupled QCD Plasma
We build a "bottom-up" holographic model of charmonium by matching the
essential spectral data. We argue that this data must include not only the
masses but also the decay constants of the J/psi and psi' mesons. Relative to
the "soft-wall" models for light mesons, such a matching requires two new
features in the holographic potential: an overall upward shift as well as a
narrow "dip" near the holographic boundary. We calculate the spectral function
as well as the position of the complex singularities (quasinormal frequencies)
of the retarded correlator of the charm current at finite temperatures. We
further extend this analysis by showing that the residues associated with these
singularities are given by the boundary derivative of the appropriately
normalized quasinormal mode. We find that the "melting" of the J/psi spectral
peak occurs at a temperature of about 540 MeV, or 2.8 T_c, in good agreement
with lattice results.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Extended performance solar electric propulsion thrust system study. Volume 4: Thruster technology evaluation
Several thrust system design concepts were evaluated and compared using the specifications of the most advanced 30 cm engineering model thruster as the technology base. Emphasis was placed on relatively high power missions (60 to 100 kW) such as a Halley's comet rendezvous. The extensions in thruster performance required for the Halley's comet mission were defined and alternative thrust system concepts were designed in sufficient detail for comparing mass, efficiency, reliability, structure, and thermal characteristics. Confirmation testing and analysis of thruster and power processing components were performed, and the feasibility of satisfying extended performance requirements was verified. A baseline design was selected from the alternatives considered, and the design analysis and documentation were refined. The baseline thrust system design features modular construction, conventional power processing, and a concentrator solar array concept and is designed to interface with the Space Shuttle
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