Experimental research on micro thrust measurement of ion thruster under variable working conditions

Abstract

In view of the application requirements for accurately measuring the micro thrust of ion thrusters in space electric propulsion, an experimental study of micro thrust measurement under variable working conditions was carried out based on an 8 cm ion thruster. By combining highly sensitive thrust response parameters such as gas flow, anode voltage and grid voltage, the ion thruster can achieve high-precision continuous thrust adjustment in the range of 1–18.6 mN. The calibration results of the thrust measuring device were compared in the cold state and the stable state of thermal equilibrium of the ion thruster, respectively, and the measured thrust was compared with the thrust value calculated based on beam current characteristic measurement. The experimental results showed that compared with the cold calibration, the calibration results of the thrust measuring device in the stable state of thermal equilibrium of the ion thruster are more suitable for measuring the thrust of the ion thruster, and the measured thrust value is in good agreement with the thrust value calculated based on beam current characteristic measurement, and the relative error of the two within the research range is less than 4%.