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Such velocity depends on the mean free path between collisions, the strength of the external electric field, and the mass of ions and neutral air molecules. The fact that the current is carried by a corona discharge (and not a tightly confined arc ) means that the moving particles diffuse into an expanding ion cloud, and collide frequently with ...
An ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. An ion thruster creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract some electrons from its atoms. The ions are then accelerated using electricity to create thrust.
In 2011, NASA partnered with Busek to launch the first hall effect thruster aboard the Tacsat-2 satellite. The thruster was the satellite's main propulsion system. The company launched another hall effect thruster that year. [7] In 2020, research on a plasma jet was published by Wuhan University. [8]
An electrostatic pinwheel, or corona spinner, attached to a small Wimshurst machine (electrostatic generator) is shown stationary and rotating. Ion wind, ionic wind, corona wind or electric wind is the airflow of charged particles induced by electrostatic forces linked to corona discharge arising at the tips of some sharp conductors (such as points or blades) subjected to high voltage relative ...
When thrust is required, a strong electric field is generated by the application of a high voltage difference between the emitter and the accelerator. Under this condition, the free surface of the liquid metal enters a regime of local instability, due to the combined effects of the electrostatic force and the surface tension.
The gridded ion thruster is a common design for ion thrusters, a highly efficient low-thrust spacecraft propulsion method running on electrical power by using high-voltage grid electrodes to accelerate ions with electrostatic forces.
Illustration of the right-hand rule for the Lorentz force, cross product of an electric current with a magnetic field. The working principle involves the acceleration of an electrically conductive fluid (which can be a liquid or an ionized gas called a plasma) by the Lorentz force, resulting from the cross product of an electric current (motion of charge carriers accelerated by an electric ...
HEMPT 3050 is a satellite station-keeping Ion thruster, currently selected for the use on German Heinrich Hertz satellite. It's designed to be used for two roles: orbit-rising and station-keeping . To date it's been demonstrated to operate over 9000 hours.