Relation analysis of the thrust efficiency and other parameters of pulsed plasma thrusters

A pulsed plasma thruster (PPT), a kind of electric propulsion system, is one of the CubeSats’ most widely used thrusters. What features a PPT is its high specific impulse that can operate even in low power conditions. Meanwhile, trim sizes, simple structure, and longer lifetimes are PPT’s advantages as well. Compared with other electric propulsion systems, though, PPT’s thrust efficiency is almost the lowest (approximately 10%). On the other hand, the thrust formation of a PPT constitutes not only the electromagnetic force (the Lorentz force) but also electrostatic force, electrothermal force, and neutral gas. For analyzing such a complicated discharge mechanism, we utilize the parallel type of a PPT to be our prototype since different configurations of electrodes and thrusters will affect the thrust composition. With the PPT discharges, we can obtain the theoretical values of impulse bit. Simultaneously, the specific impulse and the thrust efficiency can be derived with the measurement of the average mass consumption after hundreds to thousands of discharge times. In addition, we alter the number of segmented electrodes and the main discharge energy to shed light on PPT’s discharge mechanism. Furthermore, the relationship between power conversion efficiency and its energy losses is worthy of clarification and discussion. All things considered, these results could provide several reliable design guidelines for PPTs in the future.