Exhaust Plasma Characteristics of Direct-Current Arcjet Thrusters

  • Published : 2004.03.01

Abstract

Spectroscopic and electrostatic probe measurements were made to examine plasma characteristics with or without a metal plate for a 10-㎾-class direct-current arcjet Heat fluxes into the plate from the plasma were also evaluated with a Nickel slug and thermocouple arrangement. Ammonia and mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen were used. The NH$_3$ and $N_2$+3H$_2$ plasmas in the nozzle and in the downstream plume without a plate were in thermodynamical nonequilibrium states. As a result, the H-atom electronic excitation temperature and the $N_2$ molecule-rotational excitation temperature intensively decreased downstream in the nozzle although the NH molecule-rotational excitation temperature did not show an axial decrease. Each temperature was kept in a small range in the plume without a plate except for the NH rotational temperature for NH$_3$ gas. On the other hand, as approaching the plate, the thermodynamical nonequilibrium plasma came to be a temperature-equilibrium one because the plasma flow tended to stagnate in front of the plate. The electron temperature had a small radial variation near the plate. Both the electron number density and the heat flux decreased radially outward, and an increase in H$_2$ mole fraction raised them at a constant radial position. In cases with NH$_3$ and $N_2$+3H$_2$ a large number of NH radical with a radially wide distribution was considered to cause a large amount of energy loss, i.e., frozen flow loss, for arcjet thrusters.

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