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Performance investigation of zinc propellant in sub kW class hall thrusters

Performance investigation of zinc propellant in sub kW class hall thrusters
Performance investigation of zinc propellant in sub kW class hall thrusters
Zinc was successfully integrated and tested in sub-kW class Hall thrusters as an alternative propellant to xenon. The advantages of zinc include a high storage density, low first ionization energy, potentially high specific impulse and low cost. The third iteration (Mark 3) of a novel propellant storage and delivery system (PSDS) for solid propellants was tested and experimentally characterised, demonstrating operational zinc outputs up to 0.36 mg/s in sublimation mode with a peak of 8.2 mg/s near the melting point of zinc. The PSDS power consumption was approximately 20-30 W during thruster operation and 50 W in the start-up sequence. A 100 W laboratory cylindrical Hall thruster (CHT-100) was modified structurally and magnetically to couple with the PSDS Mark 3. Performance was measured during thruster operation on xenon, krypton and zinc with a mass flow rate of 5 SCCM to 10 SCCM, a discharge power of 50-150 W and an electromagnet current of 0.8 A on the main solenoid and 1.0 A on the secondary solenoid. Measured thrust was 1 mN during operation on zinc at an input power of 80 W and 1.2 mN during operation on krypton at an input power of 98 W. At an input power of 80 W the maximum measured specific impulse was 448 s during operation on zinc and 371 s during operation on krypton. Demonstration of throttling and PSDS redundancy in failure mode operation is discussed, as well as deposition and channel erosion.
Tirila, Vlad-George
b72e5d31-b19e-4450-b3f2-a752b235a7ec
Ryan, Charles
3627e47b-01b8-4ddb-b248-4243aad1f872
Demaire, Alain
a9b4fef2-c7b4-4d7d-ba65-39a3b3c23ddd
Hallock, Ashley
014bba2a-0672-4ce8-bf77-993909547acb
Tirila, Vlad-George
b72e5d31-b19e-4450-b3f2-a752b235a7ec
Ryan, Charles
3627e47b-01b8-4ddb-b248-4243aad1f872
Demaire, Alain
a9b4fef2-c7b4-4d7d-ba65-39a3b3c23ddd
Hallock, Ashley
014bba2a-0672-4ce8-bf77-993909547acb

Tirila, Vlad-George, Ryan, Charles, Demaire, Alain and Hallock, Ashley (2022) Performance investigation of zinc propellant in sub kW class hall thrusters. 37th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, June 19-23, 2022, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts, United States. 19 - 23 Jun 2022. 20 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Zinc was successfully integrated and tested in sub-kW class Hall thrusters as an alternative propellant to xenon. The advantages of zinc include a high storage density, low first ionization energy, potentially high specific impulse and low cost. The third iteration (Mark 3) of a novel propellant storage and delivery system (PSDS) for solid propellants was tested and experimentally characterised, demonstrating operational zinc outputs up to 0.36 mg/s in sublimation mode with a peak of 8.2 mg/s near the melting point of zinc. The PSDS power consumption was approximately 20-30 W during thruster operation and 50 W in the start-up sequence. A 100 W laboratory cylindrical Hall thruster (CHT-100) was modified structurally and magnetically to couple with the PSDS Mark 3. Performance was measured during thruster operation on xenon, krypton and zinc with a mass flow rate of 5 SCCM to 10 SCCM, a discharge power of 50-150 W and an electromagnet current of 0.8 A on the main solenoid and 1.0 A on the secondary solenoid. Measured thrust was 1 mN during operation on zinc at an input power of 80 W and 1.2 mN during operation on krypton at an input power of 98 W. At an input power of 80 W the maximum measured specific impulse was 448 s during operation on zinc and 371 s during operation on krypton. Demonstration of throttling and PSDS redundancy in failure mode operation is discussed, as well as deposition and channel erosion.

Text
IEPC_2022_Performance_Investigation_of_Zinc_Propellant_in_sub_kW_class_Hall_Thrusters-284 - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

In preparation date: 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: July 2022
Venue - Dates: 37th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, June 19-23, 2022, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts, United States, 2022-06-19 - 2022-06-23

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 474375
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/474375
PURE UUID: 3277f4bf-d6c8-4184-88ef-8b2166c98546
ORCID for Vlad-George Tirila: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2139-2686

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 21 Feb 2023 17:35
Last modified: 07 Jun 2024 01:57

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Contributors

Author: Vlad-George Tirila ORCID iD
Author: Charles Ryan
Author: Alain Demaire
Author: Ashley Hallock

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