Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Ion Propulsion”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Overview of Small Spacecraft Technology Activities at the NASA Glenn Research Center

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio designs and develops innovative technologies to advance NASA's missions in aeronautics and space exploration. The center's expertise includes that in power, energy storage, and conversion; in-space chemical and electric propulsion; communications; and instrumentation technologies. GRC is currently managing and/or developing a number of these technologies for Small Spacecraft applications. Small spacecraft propulsion efforts include efforts with Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) and Busek. Power systems technology efforts include the Advanced Electrical Bus (ALBus) CubeSat inhouse development as well as efforts with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the Kennedy Space Center & the University Miami. In the area of communications, NASA-GRC continues to explore the potential capabilities and advantages of using Ka-band for LEO (Low Earth Orbit) spacecraft communications with both NASA and commercially owned GEO (Geosynchrous Earth Orbit) relays and direct-to-ground terminal networks. GRC has also proposed a number of small spacecraft instrumentation technology demonstration such as SPAGHETI (Solar Proton Anisotropy and Galactic cosmic ray High Energy Transport Instrument) and CFIDS (Compact Full-Field Ion Detector System).

Space Communications↗
NASA NTRS1977

Extended performance electric propulsion power processor design study. Volume 1: Executive summary

Several power processor design concepts were evaluated and compared. Emphasis was placed on a 30cm ion thruster power processor with a beam supply rating of 2.2kW to 10kW. Extensions in power processor performance were defined and were designed in sufficient detail to determine efficiency, component weight, part count, reliability and thermal control. Preliminary electrical design, mechanical design, and thermal analysis were performed on a 6kW power transformer for the beam supply. Bi-Mod mechanical, structural, and thermal control configurations were evaluated for the power processor, and preliminary estimates of mechanical weight were determined. A program development plan was formulated that outlines the work breakdown structure for the development, qualification and fabrication of the power processor flight hardware.

Biess, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Primary electric propulsion for future space missions

A general methodology is presented which allows prediction of the overall characteristics of thrust systems employing electron-bombardment ion thrusters. Elements of the thrust system are defined and their characteristics presented in a parametric fashion. Two system approaches are evaluated where power management and control elements and thruster characteristics were substantially different. For an assumed system approach, the methodology presented predicts overall system properties, such as input power and mass, when major mission and thrust system parameters, such as trip time and specific impulse, are assumed.

Byers, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

NEP technology: FY 1992 milestones (NASA LeRC)

A discussion of Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) thrusters and facilities is presented in vugraph form. The NEP thrusters are discussed in the context of the following three items: (1) establishing a 100 H test capability for 100-kW magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters; (2) demonstrating a lightweight 20-kW krypton ion thruster; and (3) the optimization of the design of low-mass power processor transformers. The primary accomplishment at NEP facilities was the completion of the Electric Propulsion Laboratory's (EPL's) tank 5 cryopump upgrade.

Sovey, Jim↗
NASA NTRS1976

Development of a 30-cm ion thruster thermal-vacuum power processor

The 30-cm Hg electron-bombardment ion thruster presently under development has reached engineering model status and is generally accepted as the prime propulsion thruster module to be used on the earliest solar electric propulsion missions. This paper presents the results of a related program to develop a transistorized 3-kW Thermal-Vacuum Breadboard (TVBB) Power Processor for this thruster. Emphasized in the paper are the implemented electrical and mechanical designs as well as the resultant system performance achieved over a range of test conditions. In addition, design modifications affording improved performance are identified and discussed.

Herron, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A mission profile life test facility

A test facility is being prepared for a 16,000 hour mission profile life test of multiple electric propulsion thrust subsystems. The facility will be capable of simultaneously operating three 2.7 kW, 30 cm mercury ion thrusters and their power processing. The facility will permit conduction of a program of long-term tests to document thruster characteristics as a function of time and operating point to allow prediction of thruster performance for any mission profile. The thruster will be tested in a 7m by 10m vacuum chamber. Each thruster will be installed in a separate lock chamber so that it can be extended into, or extracted from the main chamber without violating the vacuum integrity of the other thruster. The thrusters will exhaust into a 3m by 5m frozen mercury target. The target and an array of cryopanels to collect sputtered target material will be liquid nitrogen chilled. Power processor units will be tested in an adjacent 1.5m by 2m vacuum chamber and will be temperature controlled by simulated heat pipes.

James, E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Plasma processes in inert gas thrusters

Inert gas thrusters, particularly with large diameters, have continued to be of interest for space propulsion applications. Two plasma processes are treated in this study: electron diffusion across magnetic fields and double ion production in inert-gas thrusters. A model is developed to describe electron diffusion across a magnetic field that is driven by both density and potential gradients, with Bohm diffusion used to predict the diffusion rate. This model has applications to conduction across magnetic fields inside a discharge chamber, as well as through a magnetic baffle region used to isolate a hollow cathode from the main chamber. A theory for double ion production is presented, which is not as complete as the electron diffusion theory described, but it should be a useful tool for predicting double ion sputter erosion. Correlations are developed that may be used, without experimental data, to predict double ion densities for the design of new and especially larger ion thrusters.

Kaufman, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Initial Thrust Measurements of Marshall's Ion-ioN Thruster

Electronegative ion thrusters are a variation of traditional gridded ion thruster technology differentiated by the production and acceleration of both positive and negative ions. Benefits of electronegative ion thrusters include the elimination of lifetime-limiting cathodes from the thruster architecture and the ability to generate appreciable thrust from both charge species. While much progress has been made in the development of electronegative ion thruster technology, direct thrust measurements are required to unambiguously demonstrate the efficacy of the concept and support continued development. In the present work, direct thrust measurements of the thrust produced by the MINT (Marshall's Ion-ioN Thruster) are performed using an inverted-pendulum thrust stand in the High-Power Electric Propulsion Laboratory's Vacuum Test Facility-1 at the Georgia Institute of Technology with operating pressures ranging from 4.8 x 10(exp -5) and 5.7 x 10(exp -5) torr. Thrust is recorded while operating with a propellant volumetric mixture ratio of 5:1 argon to nitrogen with total volumetric flow rates of 6, 12, and 24 sccm (0.17, 0.34, and 0.68 mg/s). Plasma is generated using a helical antenna at 13.56 MHz and radio frequency (RF) power levels of 150 and 350 W. The acceleration grid assembly is operated using both sinusoidal and square waveform biases of +/-350 V at frequencies of 4, 10, 25, 125, and 225 kHz. Thrust is recorded for two separate thruster configurations: with and without the magnetic filter. No thrust is discernable during thruster operation without the magnetic filter for any volumetric flow rate, RF forward Power level, or acceleration grid biasing scheme. For the full thruster configuration, with the magnetic filter installed, a brief burst of thrust of approximately 3.75 mN +/- 3 mN of error is observed at the start of grid operation for a volumetric flow rate of 24 sccm at 350 W RF power using a sinusoidal waveform grid bias at 125 kHz and +/- 350 V. Similar bursts in thrust are observed using a square waveform grid bias at 10 kHz and +/- 350 V for volumetric flow rates of 6, 10, and 12 sccm at 150, 350, and 350 W respectively. The only operating condition that exhibits repeated thrust spikes throughout thruster operation is the 24 sccm condition with a 5:1 mixture ratio at 150 W RF power using the 10 kHz square waveform acceleration grid bias. Thrust spikes for this condition measure 3 mN with an error of +/- 2.5 mN. There are no operating conditions tested that show continuous thrust production.

Caruso, Natalie R. S.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Electrostatic Solar Sail: A Propellantless Propulsion Concept for an Interstellar Probe Mission

The propulsion of an electrostatic solar sail (E Sail) is obtained by extracting momentum from the solar wind through electrostatic repulsion of the positively charged solar wind ions (see Figure 1). The positively charged solar wind protons are deflected by the electric field created around the tethers.This electric field grows in diameter as the spacecraft moves away from the Sun, therefore the E Sail effective area grows. The growth of the E-Sail effective area allows the propulsive force to decrease as 1/r up to distances of 20 AU as it moves away from the Sun, unlike solar sail propulsion whose thrust decreases as 1/r 2 but only to distances of 5AU. This propulsive force is created without using propellant and, therefore, E-sail avoids both the mass and complexity of chemical rockets (that require large amounts of propellant, propellant storage tanks, plumbing, valves, and insulation).

DeStefano, Anthony M.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enabling Extreme Fast-Charging: Challenges at the Cathode and Mitigation Strategies

We report charging lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) in 10 to 15 min via extreme fast-charging (XFC) is important for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Lately, the battery research community has focused on identifying XFC bottlenecks and determining novel design solutions. Like other LiB components, cathodes can present XFC bottlenecks, especially when considering long-term battery life. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive understanding of how XFC conditions degrade LiB cathodes. The present article reviews relevant cathode-focused studies and summarizes the current understanding regarding cathode performance and aging issues under XFC conditions. Dominant aging modes and mechanisms are identified at different length-scales with electrochemical correlations for LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 (NMC)-based cathodes. A range of electrochemical techniques and models provide key insights into cathode performance and life issues. A suite of multimodal and multiscale microscopy and X-ray techniques is surveyed to quantify chemical, structural, and crystallographic NMC-cathode degradation. Cathode cycle-life is scaled to equivalent EV miles to illustrate how cathode degradation translates to real-world scenarios and quantifies cathode-related bottlenecks that hinder XFC adoption. Finally, the article discusses several cathode cycle-life aging mitigation strategies with example case studies and identifies remaining challenges.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2013

Guide to Flow Measurement for Electric Propulsion Systems

In electric propulsion (EP) systems, accurate measurement of the propellant mass flow rate of gas or liquid to the thruster and external cathode is a key input in the calculation of thruster efficiency and specific impulse. Although such measurements are often achieved with commercial mass flow controllers and meters integrated into propellant feed systems, the variability in potential propellant options and flow requirements amongst the spectrum of EP power regimes and devices complicates meter selection, integration, and operation. At the direction of the Committee on Standards for Electric Propulsion Testing, a guide was jointly developed by members of the electric propulsion community to establish a unified document that contains the working principles, methods of implementation and analysis, and calibration techniques and recommendations on the use of mass flow meters in laboratory and spacecraft electric propulsion systems. The guide is applicable to EP devices of all types and power levels ranging from microthrusters to high-power ion engines and Hall effect thrusters. The establishment of a community standard on mass flow metering will help ensure the selection of the proper meter for each application. It will also improve the quality of system performance estimates by providing comprehensive information on the physical phenomena and systematic errors that must be accounted for during the analysis of flow measurement data. This paper will outline the standard methods and recommended practices described in the guide titled "Flow Measurement for Electric Propulsion Systems."

spacecraft electric propulsion (EP) systems↗
NASA NTRS2019

Electric Sail Propulsion for Deep Space Missions

Electrostatic Sail (E-sail) propulsion extracts momentum from the solar wind, which has minimal speeds of 400 km/sec, through electrostatic repulsion of the positively charged solar wind ions. This momentum exchange is accomplished by an array of multi-kilometer-length charged tethers biased to a high positive voltage, producing an electric field around the tethers that deflect the positively charged solar wind particles. This electric field grows in diameter as the spacecraft moves away from the sun, increasing the E-sail effective area. The growth of the E-sail effective area allows the created propulsive force to decrease at a rate closer to 1/r out to distances from the sun of up to 20 Astronomical Units (AU). This is unlike solar sail propulsion, where the thrust decreases at a rate of 1/r2 and is only effective out to distances of ~5 AU. The propulsive force is applied without expending any propellant. Although the thrust generated by an E-Sail is low, it can be applied continuously over a period of years (depending on the mission type), and can push a 500 kg spacecraft to tremendous velocities—as high as 12 AU per year—making the voyage to 600 AU in as few as 50 years after launch. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center recently completed a NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) study in which all of the major system- and subsystem-level aspects of an E-Sail-propelled vehicle were assessed and a maturation plan developed. If implemented, E-Sail propulsion could be realized and deployed as a viable option for space missions within a decade.

Interstellar Probe↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain for E-Drive Vehicles in the United States: 2010–2020

Understanding the battery supply chain is particularly important for the strategic planning and development of a battery recycling infrastructure to secure critical materials supply and enable a circular economy. Argonne has been tracking plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales in the United States (U.S.) by make and model since December 2010, when the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf were first sold in the U.S. Building on detailed monthly sales data, this report summarizes the manufacturing and production locations of lithium-ion (Li-ion, or LIB) battery cells and packs by make and model for PEVs sold in the U.S. from 2010 to 2020. It also summarizes the annual and cumulative Li-ion battery capacity installed in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) sold in the U.S. Overall, there are about 20 different battery cell and pack manufacturers, which are currently supplying about 20 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of batteries annually for the U.S. PEV market. Panasonic and LG Chem are the largest cell suppliers to the U.S. market. Beyond the U.S, South Korea and Japan are major countries supplying PEV batteries to the U.S. market.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1981

Performance capabilities of the 8-cm mercury ion thruster

A preliminary characterization of the performance capabilities of the 8-cm thruster in order to initiate an evaluation of its application to LSS propulsion requirements is presented. With minor thruster modifications, the thrust was increased by about a factor of four while the discharge voltage was reduced from 39 to 22 volts. The thruster was operated over a range of specific impulse of 1950 to 3040 seconds and a maximum total efficiency of about 54 percent was attained. Preliminary analysis of component lifetimes, as determined by temperature and spectroscopic line intensity measurements, indicated acceptable thruster lifetimes are anticipated at the high power level operation.

Mantenieks, M. A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Garnet solid electrolyte blended LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 as high-voltage stable cathodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries

Ni-rich LiNi 1-x Co x/2 Mn x/2 O 2 layered materials have been widely adopted as cathodes for current electric vehicles (EVs) due to their high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities. However, their high-voltage instability (e.g., > 4.3 V vsLi ) limited their usable capacities corresponding to about 60 – 70 % of theoretical capacities. The major problems of high-voltage operation stem from instability of Ni 3+/4+ at cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI) in contact with electrolytes. Here we propose garnet-type Li 6.7 La 3 Zr 1.7 Ta 0.3 O 12 (LLZT) solid-electrolyte-blended LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 (NMC) as high-voltage stable cathodes. The LLZT not only passivates the CEI but scavenges protons and moisture in electrolytes. From well-balanced ionic and electronic transport properties, 5 wt% LLZT blended NMC cathodes delivered enhanced electrochemical performances in full-cells. Unlike other complicated coating processes, our proposed solid-electrolyte blending approach can be readily implementable in commercial Li-ion batteries due to its manufacturing friendliness, energy saving, and cost effectiveness.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Advances in series resonant inverter technology and its effect on spacecraft employing electric propulsion

The efficiency of transistorized Series Resonant Inverters (SRIs), which is higher than that of silicon-controlled rectifier alternatives, reduces spacecraft radiator requirements by 40% and may eliminate the need for heat pipes on 30-cm ion thruster systems. Recently developed 10- and 25-kW inverters have potential applications in gas thrusters, and represent the first spaceborne SRI designs for such power levels. Attention is given to the design and control system approaches employed in these inverter designs to improve efficiency and reduce weight, along with the impact of such improved parameters on electric propulsion systems.

Robson, R. R.↗