Accurate thrust assessment is crucial for characterizing the performance of micro-thrusters.This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the thrust generated by a needle-type indium field emission electric propul...Accurate thrust assessment is crucial for characterizing the performance of micro-thrusters.This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the thrust generated by a needle-type indium field emission electric propulsion(In-FEEP)micro-thruster using three methods based on a pendulum:direct thrust measurement,indirect plume momentum transfer and beam current diagnostics.The experimental setup utilized capacitive displacement sensors for force detection and a voice coil motor as a feedback actuator,achieving a resolution better than 0.1μN.Key performance factors such as ionization and plume divergence of ejected charged particles were also examined.The study reveals that the high applied voltage induces significant electrostatic interference,becoming the dominant source of error in direct thrust measurements.Beam current diagnostics and indirect plume momentum measurements were conducted simultaneously,showing strong agreement within a deviation of less than 0.2N across the operational thrust range.The results from all three methods are consistent within the error margins,verifying the reliability of the indirect measurement approach and the theoretical thrust model based on the electrical parameters of In-FEEP.展开更多
The applications of the micro-thrust e r and the challenges of micro-thrust measuring are introduced.The developments in measuring techniques for the micro-thrust are reviewed.Micro-thrust measu rements have previousl...The applications of the micro-thrust e r and the challenges of micro-thrust measuring are introduced.The developments in measuring techniques for the micro-thrust are reviewed.Micro-thrust measu rements have previously been made either directly by mounting thrusters to the m easurement system or indirectly by mounting a target in the direct path of the e jected propellant.Several typical direct and indirect thrust-stands are presen ted and discussed in detail to illustrate the principles.Typical calibration me thods are also expounded.Finally,the resolution,uncertainty and thrust range of each thrust-stand are given,which may be helpful for the future thrust stan d design and micro-thrusters research.展开更多
In order to meet the demand of CubeSats for low power and high-performance micro-propulsion system,a porous ionic liquid electrospray thruster prototype is developed in this study.1010 conical emitter arrays are fabri...In order to meet the demand of CubeSats for low power and high-performance micro-propulsion system,a porous ionic liquid electrospray thruster prototype is developed in this study.1010 conical emitter arrays are fabricated on an area of 3.24 cm^(2) by computer numerical control machining technology.The propellant is 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate.The over-all dimension of the assembled prototype is 3 cm×3 cm×1 cm,with a total weight of about 15 g(with propellant).The performance of this prototype is tested under vacuum.The results show that it can work in the voltage range of±2.0 kV to±3.0 kV,and the maximum emission current and input power are about 355 lA and 1.12 W.Time of Flight(TOF)mass spectrometry results show that cationic monomers and dimers dominate the beam in positive mode,while a higher proportion of higher-order solvated ion clusters in negative mode.The maximum specific impulse is 2992 s in positive mode and 849 s in negative mode.The thrust is measured in two methods:one is calculated by TOF results and the other is directly measured by high-precision torsional thrust stand.The thrust(T)obtained by these two methods conforms to a certain scaling law with respect to the emis-sion current(I_(em))and the applied voltage(V_(app)),following the scale of T-Iem_(Vapp)^(0.5),and the thrust range is from 2.1 lN to 42.6 lN.Many thruster performance parameters are significantly different in positive and negative modes.We speculate that due to the higher solvation energy of the anion,more solvated ion clusters are formed rather than pure ions under the same electric field.It may help to improve thruster performance if porous materials with smaller pore sizes are used as reservoirs.Although there are still many problems,most of the performance parameters of ILET-3 are good,which can theoretically meet the requirements of CubeSats for micro-propulsion system.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2020YFC2201001)the Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research(Grant No.2019B030302001)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12105373,12105374,and 11927812)the Science and Technology Research Project of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education(Grant No.GJJ2402105).
文摘Accurate thrust assessment is crucial for characterizing the performance of micro-thrusters.This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the thrust generated by a needle-type indium field emission electric propulsion(In-FEEP)micro-thruster using three methods based on a pendulum:direct thrust measurement,indirect plume momentum transfer and beam current diagnostics.The experimental setup utilized capacitive displacement sensors for force detection and a voice coil motor as a feedback actuator,achieving a resolution better than 0.1μN.Key performance factors such as ionization and plume divergence of ejected charged particles were also examined.The study reveals that the high applied voltage induces significant electrostatic interference,becoming the dominant source of error in direct thrust measurements.Beam current diagnostics and indirect plume momentum measurements were conducted simultaneously,showing strong agreement within a deviation of less than 0.2N across the operational thrust range.The results from all three methods are consistent within the error margins,verifying the reliability of the indirect measurement approach and the theoretical thrust model based on the electrical parameters of In-FEEP.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.91216201, No.51205403)
文摘The applications of the micro-thrust e r and the challenges of micro-thrust measuring are introduced.The developments in measuring techniques for the micro-thrust are reviewed.Micro-thrust measu rements have previously been made either directly by mounting thrusters to the m easurement system or indirectly by mounting a target in the direct path of the e jected propellant.Several typical direct and indirect thrust-stands are presen ted and discussed in detail to illustrate the principles.Typical calibration me thods are also expounded.Finally,the resolution,uncertainty and thrust range of each thrust-stand are given,which may be helpful for the future thrust stan d design and micro-thrusters research.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2020YFC2201103).
文摘In order to meet the demand of CubeSats for low power and high-performance micro-propulsion system,a porous ionic liquid electrospray thruster prototype is developed in this study.1010 conical emitter arrays are fabricated on an area of 3.24 cm^(2) by computer numerical control machining technology.The propellant is 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate.The over-all dimension of the assembled prototype is 3 cm×3 cm×1 cm,with a total weight of about 15 g(with propellant).The performance of this prototype is tested under vacuum.The results show that it can work in the voltage range of±2.0 kV to±3.0 kV,and the maximum emission current and input power are about 355 lA and 1.12 W.Time of Flight(TOF)mass spectrometry results show that cationic monomers and dimers dominate the beam in positive mode,while a higher proportion of higher-order solvated ion clusters in negative mode.The maximum specific impulse is 2992 s in positive mode and 849 s in negative mode.The thrust is measured in two methods:one is calculated by TOF results and the other is directly measured by high-precision torsional thrust stand.The thrust(T)obtained by these two methods conforms to a certain scaling law with respect to the emis-sion current(I_(em))and the applied voltage(V_(app)),following the scale of T-Iem_(Vapp)^(0.5),and the thrust range is from 2.1 lN to 42.6 lN.Many thruster performance parameters are significantly different in positive and negative modes.We speculate that due to the higher solvation energy of the anion,more solvated ion clusters are formed rather than pure ions under the same electric field.It may help to improve thruster performance if porous materials with smaller pore sizes are used as reservoirs.Although there are still many problems,most of the performance parameters of ILET-3 are good,which can theoretically meet the requirements of CubeSats for micro-propulsion system.
