Influences of characteristic parameters on starting-up process of an arcjet thruster

Arcjet thruster has been a widely used electrical propulsion technology on GEO satellites since 1993. In its long history of technical development and commercial application, lifetime verification of an arcjet thruster is always one of the most important and expensive tasks. Considering that the main life limitation of an arcjet thruster is electrode ablation and a significant share of the total ablation happens in its starting-up process, the starting-up process is studied with arc voltage signals. Through interpretation of arc voltage signals, the transfer process of the arc root on the anode surface is identified, and ΔT (the duration of the arc root transfer process) is suggested to be a characteristic parameter for fast evaluation of lifetime assessment and design optimization for an arcjet thruster. With this criterion, the influences of typical parameters on the starting-up process are established through comparison with a benchmark parameter. According to experimental results, an increase of the gas flow will obviously reduce ΔT, while a smaller swirl aperture and a longer throat channel do not have a remarkable correlation with ΔT. Moreover, with a sample of a smaller throat diameter to increase the flow velocity, a reduction of ΔT is achieved. Meanwhile, the modifications also affect the stability of arcjet thruster operation, which is also discussed.     

A brief review of alternative propellants and requirements for pulsed plasma thrusters in micropropulsion applications

Technological miniaturization has enabled the development of small satellites weighing as little as 1 kg. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of suitable efficient micropropulsion systems at these scales. The pulsed plasma thruster is a structurally simple form of electric propulsion. This simplicity also makes it ideally suited for miniaturization. Its history can be traced back to applications in satellites that are much larger than micro/nano-satellites. The vast majority of modern pulsed plasma thrusters use solid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a propellant. Unfortunately, at lower discharge energy levels such as those necessitated by the power limitations of micro/nano-satellites, PTFE has a tendency to exhibit carbon deposition, which can ultimately lead to thruster failure. In this new era of small satellites, it is important to consider alternative propellants in the miniaturization of pulsed plasma thrusters. This brief review discusses the needs and limitations of small satellites and alternative propellants that may be able to meet these needs. Such propellants may be able to offer advantages such as a longer thruster lifetime, a higher specific impulse, or a higher thrust-to-power ratio. This would enable the development of different types of pulsed plasma thrusters that can be tailored towards specific mission requirements.     

GEM-TEPC电场模拟及增益分析方法研究

为对现有组织等效正比计数器(TEPC)进行改进,使其满足高注量率辐射场测量,本实验室研制一套基于气体电子倍增技术(GEM)的宽量程TEPC。对GEM-TEPC来说,探测器的增益是其关键指标,施加在GEM电极上的电压、漂移区场强、收集区场强、灵敏区充入气体的成分、气压均影响探测器的有效增益。本工作通过ANSYS程序对GEM-TEPC的电场进行模拟计算,并对利用Garfield程序对其增益特性进行模拟的方法以及增益测量方法进行研究。     

Model for the VLF/LF radio signal anomalies formation associated with earthquakes

The influence of quasi-static electric field of seismic origin on the characteristics of the internal gravity waves (IGWs) in the Earth’s ionosphere is considered. The electric field in the ionosphere arises due to the injection of charged aerosols into the atmosphere, formation of an EMF in the near Earth atmosphere and perturbation of the conductive electric current in the global electric circuit. Amplification of the electric current in seismic zone is accompanied by the formation of perturbation of the lower ionosphere that affects the amplitude and phase of VLF/LF signals. The action of the electric field on the IGWs is connected with the appearance of the Ampere’s force in the ionosphere. In the spectral range of these waves the latter acts on the neutral component of the ionosphere plasma. As the result of this interaction the ionosphere starts to support the discrete spectrum of oscillations. Periods of their maximums increase as numbers of natural sequence. The existence of such peculiarities of the waves in the ionosphere is confirmed by observations.     

改善离子推力器束流均匀性的方法

离子推力器的束流分布,直接影响离子推力器离子光学系统（亦称栅极组件）的性能和寿命。通过对离子推力器离子光学系统的改进和放电室磁场的优化,使束流均匀性系数R值达到0.7左右。离子推力器束流分布均匀性的有效提高,有助于改善离子光学系统的受热分布,降低离子光学系统的温度,并能减小其温度差,使离子光学系统的热应力和热变形降低,进而延长离子推力器的寿命。     

螺旋波等离子体推进研究进展

螺旋波等离子体推力器是一种新概念磁等离子体推进装置,以其电离率高、无电极烧蚀、寿命长、比冲高等优点受到国内外学者的广泛关注,该新型推力器在未来长寿命深空探测器和卫星的动力系统中具有广阔的应用前景。概述了螺旋波等离子体推力器的系统组成和工作原理、重点介绍了该推力器的研究进展、现状和关键技术,总结了国外在研的四种典型的推力器结构类型,并根据实际情况,提出了国内螺旋波技术在电推进领域的研究方向和发展思路。     

天翼1无人机电动化改造可行性分析

电动飞机正在国内外通用航空领域蓬勃发展,并影响着未来航空的发展方向。利用电推进技术对无人机进行电动化改造,能大大提高无人机的安全性、可靠性和维修性,降低使用成本。以天翼1无人机为电动化改造对象,提出了电动化改造方案,详细计算分析了电推进系统中电动机和锂电池组的主要参数,并从无人机的重量重心、性能以及电推进系统的安装方式等方面分析了改造的可行性。分析结果表明,天翼1无人机电动化改造基本可行;并提出了后续改造实施中需注意的问题。     

The auroral activity during the main phase of magnetic storms

The relationship of auroral activity indices (AE, Kp, SME) with interplanetary medium parameters during the main phase of magnetic storms is studied. For the period 1990–2020, 142 magnetic storms driven by (41) Sheath, (61) CIR, and (40) ICME events are selected. It is found that the correlation coefficient between average values of the SME index and the SW electric field for Sheath (r = 0.75) is close to correlation coefficients for CIR and ICME events. The correlation coefficient between Kp_aver&Esw_aver (r = 0.72) is higher than the correlation coefficient between AE_aver&Esw_aver (r = 0.63) at the main phase of magnetic storms induced by the Sheath events. It is shown that average values of SW dynamic pressure and IMF σB fluctuations correlate each other for all types of SW.     

Experimental discrimination of electrostatic and magnetic forces in particle–particle aggregation

The aggregates formed in low gravity are generally fractals. The fractal dimensions and the site growth probability measures of the resulting fractal structures strongly depend on the properties of the forces that cause the aggregation. Using some approximations, we solved the equation of motion and obtained the relation giving the particles separation as a function of time. The electric force between two charged particles and the magnetic force between two particles with a magnetic moment were considered. The two relations are different and it is shown that one can identify and separate these two interactions by analysing the recording of the aggregation. The apparatus used to record the aggregation has a resolution in the order of one micrometer per pixel and has the possibility of recording simultaneously two views at right angles. From a three dimensional recording of an aggregation, it will be possible to obtain the product of the two charges or magnetic moments causing the aggregation.     

压电陶瓷柱体中裂纹前缘场分析

为了揭示含裂纹的压电陶瓷介质在机械载荷作用下裂纹前缘的力学和电学的奇异行为,以一承受扭矩的压电陶瓷柱体为例,求得了其中所含的圆币形裂纹前缘的应力场和电场移场。