Pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs) are the simplest electric acceleration devices with solid propellant on satellites. In order to make their thrust performance higher and to feed propellant more effectively, we have been developing a new type PPT using powdered propellant. To estimate its thrust performance, we have made a test model thruster for comparing the thrust performances of PPTs with soli...

an internal ballistics model has been developed for performance prediction of a solid propellant rocket motor. inthis model a 1-d unsteady euler equation with source terms is considered. the flow is assumed as a non-reacting mixture of perfect gases with space and time varying thermo physical properties. the governing equations in the combustion chamber are solved numerically by using the stege...

Sodium chloride or ammonia was dissolved in the water propellant of pulsed plasma thrusters to improve the performance. Pulsed plasma thrusters using liquid propellant utilize water as attractive alternative instead of Teflon. Water propellant enables the controlling propellant mass flow and leads high specific impulse. However, liquid propellant pulsed plasma thrusters have larger plasma resis...

The CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) is nominally designed to operate on inert gas propellants with a target ΔV capability of greater than 1000 m/s. The design process for a prototype pressurized inert gas propellant feed system capable of storing enough propellant to meet this target and of delivering propellant at the flow rates of 5 15 sccm of xenon and pressures of 1 10 mbar required by CAT...

An experimental program is described in which the bending and longitudinal dynamics of structures simulating solid-propellant rocket motors are being studied. The structure is considered to be a cylindrical grain of solid propellant to which is bonded a thin steel case. Vibrations of the empty steel cylinder suspended in a free-free condition are studied first. Secondly, a similar steel cylinde...

Military training with howitzers and mortars produces excess propellant that is burned on the training range and can result in point sources containing high concentrations of unreacted propellant constituents. Propellants contain energetic compounds such as nitroglycerin (NG) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), both of which are found at firing positions and propellant disposal areas. To quantify...

The temperature of solid state propellant combustion flame is studied by a Bruker OPAG33 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR). The infrared emission spectra of Nitrate Ester Plasticized Polyether Propellant (NEPE) solid propellant are measured with a resolution of 4 cm−1 at a testing distance of 20 m in real time. The temperature of NEPE propellant plume is calculated by using the fin...

High thrust-to-power ratio on Hall-effect thrusters allows for more efficient thrust generation and better overall performance. It allows Hall-effect thrusters to perform more thrust-intensive maneuvers such as orbit raising, thus saving the mass of a second engine purely for those maneuvers. This paper presents the initial performance measurements of aHall-effect thruster using in-channel elec...

The purpose of this rersearch is to analyze the effective application of particular earth orbits in dynamical modeling of relative motion problem between two spacecraft. One challenge in implementing these motions is maintaining the relations as it experiences orbital perturbations (zonal harmonics J2 and J3), most notably due to the Earth’s oblateness. Certain aspects of the orbital geometry c...

A numerical framework based on the generalized finite element method (GFEM) is developed to capture the coupled effects of thermomechanical deformations and thermal gradients on the regression rate of a heterogeneous solid propellant. The thermomechanical formulation is based on a multiplicative split of the deformation gradient and regression of the heterogeneous solid propellant is simulated ...