Abstract
Several issues related to the design of a micropulsed plasma thruster (µPPT) are considered. It is concluded that the choice of the optimal energy level for a given µPPT geometry is very important. If the discharge energy is small, propellant charring would limit the operational time of the thruster. It is found that the charring phenomenon is associated with nonuniformity (in the radial direction between the electrodes) in the propellant ablation rate. On the other hand, higher energy leads to discharge constriction on the positive electrode and causes azimuthal nonuniformity. Reasoning leading to such nonuniformity is considered, and general suggestions for optimal energy and thruster size selections are presented.
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