Discharge Characteristics of a Low-power Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster in a Tesla-level Magnetic Field

Discharge Characteristics of a Low-power Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster in a Tesla-level Magnetic Field | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Discharge Characteristics of a Low-power Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster in a Tesla-level Magnetic Field Jakub Głowacki, Sebastian Hellmann, Emile Webster, Zoё Jaeger-Letts, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6344062/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract High magnetic fields, efficiently generated by superconducting magnets, can enhance and modulate the thrust of applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters (AF-MPDTs). However, the extent to which high fields can impact performance is unknown due to the scarcity of tests conducted at Tesla-level fields. This paper presents the discharge characteristics of a kW-class thruster (maximum 1.6 kW) operating under a high magnetic flux density, reaching 1.25 T, with argon propellant flow rates of 2 and 4 mg/s. The results show that the discharge voltage at all fields scales linearly with the back electromotive voltage, indicating consistent creation of useful voltage in the investigated regime. A similar trend is observed for the anode voltage fall, which increases with the magnetic fields in the high-field regime and decrease with the mass flow rate. The temperatures monitored at the anode showed a maximum increase of 29.1 K at 750 mT during 15 A discharge. The temperature measurements were used to quantify the anode’s thermal efficiency. The highest thermal efficiency of the anode, 66%, was registered at 750 mT and showed minimal variation for both 10 A and 15 A at higher fields. For low-current discharges, the anode’s efficiency followed the linear trend up to high fields indicating the potential of using high fields (< 250 mT) to improve the performance of low-power (< 10 A) AF-MPDTs. Space Exploration Plasma and Fluids Electrical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters (AF-MPDT) Superconducting Magnets High Magnetic Fields Discharge Voltage Thermal Efficiency Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eHigh magnetic fields, efficiently generated by superconducting magnets, can enhance and modulate the thrust of applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters (AF-MPDTs). However, the extent to which high fields can impact performance is unknown due to the scarcity of tests conducted at Tesla-level fields. This paper presents the discharge characteristics of a kW-class thruster (maximum 1.6 kW) operating under a high magnetic flux density, reaching 1.25 T, with argon propellant flow rates of 2 and 4 mg/s. The results show that the discharge\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003evoltage at all fields scales linearly with the back electromotive voltage, indicating consistent creation of useful voltage in the investigated regime. A similar trend is observed for the anode voltage fall, which increases with the magnetic fields in the high-field regime and decrease with the mass flow rate. The temperatures\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003emonitored at the anode showed a maximum increase of 29.1 K at 750 mT during 15 A discharge. The temperature measurements were used to quantify the anode’s thermal efficiency. The highest thermal efficiency of the anode, 66%, was registered at 750 mT and showed minimal variation for both 10 A and 15 A at higher fields. For low-current discharges, the anode’s efficiency followed the linear trend up to high fields indicating the potential of using high fields (\u0026lt; 250 mT) to improve the performance of low-power (\u0026lt; 10 A) AF-MPDTs.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Discharge Characteristics of a Low-power Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster in a Tesla-level Magnetic Field","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-02 07:24:38","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6344062/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"8641293d-d7c7-4548-a2d4-2378cab80005","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 2nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":46477870,"name":"Space Exploration"},{"id":46477871,"name":"Plasma and Fluids"},{"id":46477872,"name":"Electrical Engineering"},{"id":46477873,"name":"Mechanical Engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-04-02T07:24:38+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-02 07:24:38","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6344062","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6344062","identity":"rs-6344062","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}