Ferroelectric Emission Cathodes For Low Power Electric Propulsion

Author : National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781721527458
Total Pages : 30 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (274 download)

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Download or read book Ferroelectric Emission Cathodes for Low-Power Electric Propulsion written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-08-20 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Low- or no-flow electron emitters are required for low-power electric thrusters, spacecraft plasma contactors, and electrodynamic tether systems to reduce or eliminate the need for propellant/expellant. Expellant-less neutralizers can improve the viability of very low-power colloid thrusters, field emission electric propulsion devices, ion engines, Hall thrusters, and gridded vacuum arc thrusters. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is evaluating ferroelectric emission (FEE) cathodes as zero expellant flow rate cathode sources for the applications listed above. At GRC, low voltage (100s to approx. 1500 V) operation of FEE cathodes is examined. Initial experiments, with unipolar, bipolar, and RF burst applied voltage, have produced current pulses 250 to 1000 ns in duration with peak currents of up to 2 A at voltages at or below 1500 V. In particular, FEE cathodes driven by RF burst voltages from 1400 to 2000 V peak to peak, at burst frequencies from 70 to 400 kHz, emitted average current densities from 0.1 to 0.7 A/sq cm. Pulse repeatability as a function of input voltage has been initially established. Reliable emission has been achieved in air background at pressures as high as 10(exp -6) Torr. Kovaleski, Scott D. and Burke, Tom (Technical Monitor) Glenn Research Center NASA/CR-2002-211872, E-13554, NAS 1.26:211872, AIAA Paper 2002-4242