LEI Wen,CHEN Yu,SHEN Yan,et al.Thrust characteristics of micro-newton microwave ion thrusters[J].Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni,2025,64(04):42-52.
LEI Wen,CHEN Yu,SHEN Yan,et al.Thrust characteristics of micro-newton microwave ion thrusters[J].Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni,2025,64(04):42-52. DOI: 10.13471/j.cnki.acta.snus.ZR20240301.
Thrust characteristics of micro-newton microwave ion thrusters
This study establishes a theoretical thrust estimation model for microwave ion thrusters, conducts thrust measurements using a thrust stand, and analyzes errors of thrust. Additionally, it explores the effects of propellant flow rate, microwave power, and grid voltage on grid current and thrust. Results show that using a plume divergence correction coefficient of 0.98 and an ion energy correction coefficient of 1.02 improves the theoretical estimation model. Experimental investigations on thrust performance reveal that the influence of grid voltage aligns with theoretical predictions. Moreover, increasing microwave power and propellant flow rate significantly affects the ionization of Xe atoms in the discharge chamber,promoting ionization reactions and consequently impacting thrust performance.
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