2016/04/15 by Mark A. Hopkins, Lyon B. King · 1 citation
Engineering · #Plasma Diagnostics and Applications #Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics #Advanced Battery Technologies Research #Propellant #Specific impulse #Xenon #Thrust #Magnesium #Materials science #Voltage #Aerospace engineering #Electrically powered spacecraft propulsion #Impulse (physics) #Nuclear engineering #Electrical engineering #Propulsion #Engineering #Physics #Atomic physics
paper · doi:10.2514/1.b35731
openalex publication_date 2016/04/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The performance metrics of a 2-kW-class thruster operated using magnesium propellant were measured and compared to the performance of the same thruster operated using xenon propellant. When operated with magnesium at a 7 A discharge current, the thruster had thrust ranging from at 200 V using of propellant to at 300 V using of propellant. The thrust-to-power ratio ranged from at 200 V to at 300 V. At a 200 V discharge voltage, the specific impulse was at efficiency (at 7 A using ). At a 300 V discharge voltage, the specific impulse was at efficiency (at 5 A using ). The performance of the thruster using magnesium propellant was compared to xenon performance at matched molar propellant flow rates: for xenon and for magnesium. The xenon-fueled thruster produced of thrust, with a specific impulse of , at an efficiency of compared to the magnesium-fueled thruster, which produced of thrust, with a specific impulse of , at an efficiency of .