A predictive model for macro-performances applied to laser-assisted pulsed plasma thrusters

Abstract

The laser-assisted pulsed plasma thruster is considered a promising propulsion system to support the tasks of microsatellites because of its high specific impulse and low volume. Different from the traditional pulsed plasma thruster, laser-assisted pulsed plasma thruster uses the laser to replace the spark plug for ignition, which can avoid ignition failure and remove the side effect of carbon deposition. Both the thrust efficiency and impulse bit are expected to increase after the plasma flow produced by laser ablation is further ionized and accelerated. Since there are a few macro-performance prediction models in laser-assisted pulsed plasma thrusters, this paper develops a model based on the laser ablation model and electromagnetic acceleration model to capture macro-performances of laser-assisted pulsed plasma thrusters. In this model, the initial velocity and mass of plasma flow can be obtained from the ablation model, and the acceleration model is utilized to describe the electromagnetic acceleration process of plasma flow. With this combined model, the discharge current, voltage, impulse bit, specific impulse, and thrust efficiency can be estimated. The deviation between the predicted results and experimental results was less than 10%, verifying the correctness of the developed model. The effects of different parameters on the performance are further investigated with this model.