LOW PRESSURE DIELECTRIC BARRIER DISCHARGE PLASMA THRUSTER

• US 20160327029A1
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EHT Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Eagle Harbor Technolologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cascadden, John G., Slobodov, Illia, Picard, Julian F., Hashim, Akel, Ziemba, Timothy M., Prager, James R., Miller, Kenneth E.
• Granted Patent: US 11,542,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F03H 1/0087 Electro-dynamic thrusters, e.g. pulsed plasma thrusters
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/2406 using dielectric barrier discharges, i.e. with a dielectric interposed between the electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/2465 the plasma being activated by inductive coupling, e.g. using coiled electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/54 Plasma accelerators

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention include a thruster system comprising a thruster and a pulsing power supply. The thruster may include a gas inlet port; a plasma jet outlet; and a first electrode. In some embodiments, the pulsing power supply may provide an electrical potential to the first electrode with a pulse repetition frequency greater than 10 kHz, a voltage greater than 5 kilovolts. In some embodiments, the pressure downstream from the thruster can be less than 10 Torr. In some embodiments, when a plasma is produced within the thruster by energizing a gas flowing into the thruster through the gas inlet port, the plasma is expelled from the thruster through the plasma jet outlet.

Claims

1. A thruster system comprising:

a thruster comprising;

a gas inlet port;

a plasma jet outlet; and

a first electrode; and

a pulsing power supply providing an electrical potential to the first electrode with a pulse repetition frequency greater than 10 kHz, a voltage greater than 5 kilovolts, and a downstream gas pressure of less than 10 Torr,

wherein a plasma is produced within the thruster by energizing a gas flowing into the thruster through the gas inlet port, the plasma is expelled from the thruster through the plasma jet outlet.

2. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply comprises a plurality of IGBTs and a transformer.

3. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply has a total inductance less than 100 nH. =

4. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply has a capacitance less than 100 pF.

5. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply comprises a solid state pulsing power supply.

6. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulse widths of the electrical potential are variable.

7. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply provides an electrical potential with rise times less than 100 nanoseconds.

8. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply provides an electrical potential with a pulse width less than 500 nanoseconds.

9. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the thruster comprises a thruster selected from a group consisting of a dielectric free electrode thruster, a dielectric barrier discharge device, a dielectric barrier discharge-like device, and a single electrode thruster.

10. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply is configured to produce variable and/or controllable pulse widths between 20 to 500 nanoseconds.

11. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises a ring electrode.

12. The thruster system according to claim 11, further comprising a second ring electrode electrically coupled with the pulsing power supply.

13. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply comprises a dielectric tube.

14. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises a tube electrode.

15. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply comprises:

a dielectric tube having a gas inlet and a jet outlet; and

two ring electrodes surrounding the dielectric tube, wherein the two ring electrodes are electrically coupled with the pulsing power supply.

16. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulsing power supply produces a plasma at input propellant flow rates of less than 50,000 SCCM.

17. The thruster system according to claim 1, wherein the pulser is configured to produce a variable and/or controllable current output up to 200 A.

18. A thruster system comprising:

a dielectric barrier discharge thruster having a gas chamber and at least one electrode, wherein the thruster can create a plasma with a gas introduced in the gas chamber with a flow rate less than 50,000 SCCM; and

a pulsing power supply electrically coupled with the dielectric barrier discharge thruster, the pulsing power supply producing electrical pulses having a pulse repetition frequency less than 500 nanoseconds, and a voltage less than 5 kV.

19. The thruster according to claim 18, wherein the pulsing power supply produces pulses with a pulse repetition frequency greater than 10 kHz.

20. A thruster system comprising:

a thruster comprising;

a gas inlet port;

a plasma jet outlet; and

a first electrode; and

a pulsing power supply having a primary inductance less than 100 nH and a primary to secondary stray capacitance less than 200 pF, the pulsing power supply produces electric pulses greater than 5 kilovolts and with rise times less than 100 nanoseconds;

wherein a plasma is produced within the thruster by energizing a gas flowing into the thruster through the gas inlet port with a flow rate less than about 50,000 SCCM, the plasma is expelled from the thruster through the plasma jet outlet.