Stuttgart 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 7: Diagnostik (von Niedertemperaturplasmen)

P 7.7: Vortrag

Dienstag, 13. März 2012, 12:15–12:30, V57.01

Investigation of Vacuum Arc Thruster properties with an innovative high speed imaging system — Mathias Pietzka, •Marina Kauffeldt, Stefan Kirner, and Jochen Schein — Universität der Bundeswehr München, Neubiberg, Deutschland

A high speed imaging system was used to investigate the properties of a Vacuum Arc Thruster (VAT). This kind of electric propulsion was designed for the fine positioning of small satellites for which highly defined thrusts in the order of uN are necessary. The VAT consists of an anode and a cathode insulated from each other. The arc is ignited using an inductive energy storage system. By this a plasma plume with a very high inside pressure is formed, resulting in high particle velocities and therefore the required thrust. The optimal cathode erosion and the improvement of the thrust properties are depending on the electrode and insulator material, the surface texture and the thruster geometry as well as on the applied voltage and the arc current.

An important indicator for the investigation of these matters and the relation between them is the arc spot movement. The high speed imaging system is splendidly qualified for the observation of these arc spots. The essential parts of this diagnostic system are an image intensifier, a CCD camera and a fast rotating mirror. It allows to visualize the dynamic behavior of the arc spots on the surface of the thruster from which the properties of the plasma plume and consequently of the thrust can be concluded. The results of the high-speed imaging correlated with the constructive properties of the VAT are presented and discussed here.