为了描述微空心阴极内等离子体放电特性,采用二维流体模型对氩气微空心阴极放电进行了数值模拟。在工作气压4 42×10~4×10 Pa,放电电流1.0~2.5 m A范围内,微空心阴极内氩气放电处于正常辉光放电区域,计算获得的微空心阴极伏安...为了描述微空心阴极内等离子体放电特性,采用二维流体模型对氩气微空心阴极放电进行了数值模拟。在工作气压4 42×10~4×10 Pa,放电电流1.0~2.5 m A范围内,微空心阴极内氩气放电处于正常辉光放电区域,计算获得的微空心阴极伏安特性及各种组分数密度与文献报道结果符合良好。数值模拟结果表明,在典型计算工况条件下,微空心阴极环形鞘层内电子温度可达20 e V;气体温度可高出室温几百K,说明微空心阴极内等离子体放电具有明显的气体加热效应。通过对体系内的化学动力学过程分析发现,在不同的区域内,Ar＋的产生机理不同。在阴极孔鞘层区内,高能电子直接电离基态原子占主导;在阴极孔中心处,电子冲击激发态电离占主导;在阴极孔外的放电区域中心轴线上,Ar＋的产生来自电子冲击激发态电离、Penning电离和电子直接冲击基态原子电离共同贡献。展开更多
The experimental results of studies of four kinds of cathode emitting intense electron beams are demonstrated under multi-pulsed mode based on an experimental setup including two multi-pulse high voltage sources.The t...The experimental results of studies of four kinds of cathode emitting intense electron beams are demonstrated under multi-pulsed mode based on an experimental setup including two multi-pulse high voltage sources.The tested cathodes include velvet,carbon fibers,carbon nano-tubes （CNTs） and dispenser cathodes.The results indicate that all four are able to emit multi-pulsed beams.For velvet,carbon fiber and CNTs,the electron induced cathode plasma emission may be the main process and this means that there are differences in beam parameters from pulse to pulse.For dispenser cathodes tested in the experiment,although there is a little difference from pulse to pulse for some reason,thermal-electric field emission may be the main process.展开更多
A project of electrical rocket engine of the future, which operates on principle of a magnetoplasmadynamic engine, is being considered. New concept of the superconducting magnetic system, stipulating installation of e...A project of electrical rocket engine of the future, which operates on principle of a magnetoplasmadynamic engine, is being considered. New concept of the superconducting magnetic system, stipulating installation of external field winding, in which the current is directed parallel to longitudinal axis of the engine, makes it possible to increase the magnitude of the transversal magnetic field in working chamber, to decrease the rated current and to raise the engine efficiency. On the basis of equations that describe the process of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, a mathematical model has been composed with whose help the characteristics of magnetoplasma engine having conventional design and the characteristics of the engine being developed in the project have been determined. Conducted research has shown that new design increases engine efficiency from 50% up to 91%. The project also contains a consideration of the new engine design with movable cathode and with cathode having forced cooling which helps to reduce carryover of cathode mass and to increase lifetime by several times. In conclusion, the results of calculations and constructive development of electrorocket engine for flight towards planet Jupiter, which creates tractive force of 250 N at 2500 kW power, are given.展开更多
The key plasma parameters under different discharge modes, such as heavy-particle and electron temperatures, electron number density, and nonequilibrium volume of plasmas, play important roles in various applications ...The key plasma parameters under different discharge modes, such as heavy-particle and electron temperatures, electron number density, and nonequilibrium volume of plasmas, play important roles in various applications of gas discharge plasmas. In this study, a self-consistent two-dimensional nonequilibrium fluid model coupled with an external circuit model is established to reveal the mechanisms related to the discharge modes, including the normal glow, abnormal glow,arc, and glow-to-arc transition modes, with an atmospheric-pressure direct-current(DC) argon discharge as a model plasma system. The modeling results show that, under different discharge modes, the most significant difference between the preceding four discharge modes lies in the current and energy transfer processes on the cathode side. On one hand, the current to the cathode surface is mainly delivered by the ions coming from the plasma column under the glow discharge mode due to the low temperature of the solid cathode, whereas the thermionic and secondary electrons emitted from the hot cathode surface play a very important role under the arc mode with a higher cathode surface temperature and higher ion flux toward the cathode. On the other hand, the energy transfer channel on the cathode side changes from mainly heating the solid cathode under the glow mode to simultaneously heating both the solid cathode and plasma column under the arc mode with an increase in the discharge current. Consequently, the power density in the cathode sheath(P_c) was used as a key parameter for judging different discharge modes, and the range of(0.28–1.2) × 10^(12) W m^(-3) was determined as a critical window of P_c corresponding to the glow-to-arc-mode transition for the atmospheric-pressure DC argon discharge, which was also verified by comparison with the experimental results in this study and the data in the previous literature.展开更多
A hollow cathode is the electronic source and neutralizer of the Hall thruster and an ion thruster.When the orbit of an all-electric propulsion satellite changes from 100 km to 36 000 km, the backpressure changes by t...A hollow cathode is the electronic source and neutralizer of the Hall thruster and an ion thruster.When the orbit of an all-electric propulsion satellite changes from 100 km to 36 000 km, the backpressure changes by two to three orders of magnitude. In this paper, the influence of the backpressure on the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode has been studied experimentally in the so-called diode configuration. With the increase in the backpressure, the anode voltage decreases gradually, and the amplitude of the current oscillation decreases significantly. Additionally, the plasma is relatively stable, the most probable ion energy and the width of the ion energy distribution reduces, and the electron distribution function inclines toward the Maxwell distribution under high backpressure. The analysis results show that the backpressure affects the gas ionization and the ionic acoustic turbulence, which also affects the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode.展开更多
Effect of the hollow cathode heat power on the performance of a Hall-effect thruster is investigated. The variations in the Hall-effect thruster＇s performance （thrust, specific impulse and anode efficiency） with th...Effect of the hollow cathode heat power on the performance of a Hall-effect thruster is investigated. The variations in the Hall-effect thruster＇s performance （thrust, specific impulse and anode efficiency） with the hollow cathode heat power was obtained from the analysis of the experimental data. Through an analysis on the coupling relationship between the electrons emitted from the hollow cathode and the environmental plasma, it was found that the heat power would affect the electron emission of the emitter and the space potential of the coupling zone, which would lead to a change in the effective discharge voltage. The experimental data agree well with the results of calculation which can be used to explain the experimental phenomena.展开更多
A single cathode with a cascaded bias voltage arc plasma source has been developed with a new quartz cathode chamber,instead of the previous copper chambers,to provide better diagnostic observation and access to the p...A single cathode with a cascaded bias voltage arc plasma source has been developed with a new quartz cathode chamber,instead of the previous copper chambers,to provide better diagnostic observation and access to the plasma optical emission.The cathode chamber cooling scheme is also modified to be naturally cooled only by light emission without cooling water to improve the optical thin performance in the optical path.A single-parameter physical model has been developed to describe the power dissipated in the cascaded bias voltage arc discharge argon plasmas,which have been investigated by utilizing optical emission spectroscopy（OES） and Langmuir probe.In the experiments,discharge currents from 50 A to 100 A,argon flow rates from 800 sccm to 2000 sccm and magnetic fields of 0.1 T and 0.2 T were chosen.The results show：（a） the relationship between the averaged resistivity and the averaged current density exhibits an empirical scaling law as η∝ j^（-0.63369） and the power dissipated in the arc has a strong relation with the filling factor;（b） through the quartz,the argon ions optical emission lines have been easily observed and are dominating with wavelengths between 340 nm and 520 nm,which are the emissions of Ar^＋-434.81 nm and Ar^＋-442.60 nm line,and theintensities are increasing with the arc current and decreasing with the inlet argon flow rate;and（c） the electron density and temperature can reach 2.0 × 10^19 m^-3 and 0.48 eV,respectively,under the conditions of an arc current of 90 A and a magnetic field of 0.2 T.The half-width of the ne radial profile is approximatively equal to a few Larmor radii of electrons and can be regarded as the diameter of the plasma jet in the experiments.展开更多
A highly charged manned spacecraft threatens the life of an astronaut and extravehicular activity, which can be effectively reduced by controlling the spacecraft surface charging. In this article, the controlling of s...A highly charged manned spacecraft threatens the life of an astronaut and extravehicular activity, which can be effectively reduced by controlling the spacecraft surface charging. In this article, the controlling of surface charging on Chinese Space Station （CSS） is investigated, and a method to reduce the negative potential to the CSS is the emission electron with a hollow cathode plasma eontactor. The analysis is obtained that the high voltage （HV） solar array of the CSS collecting electron current can reach 4.5 A, which can be eliminated by emitting an adequate electron current on the CSS. The theoretical analysis and experimental results are addressed, when the minimum xenon flow rate of the hollow cathode is 4.0 sccm, the emission electron current can neutralize the collected electron current, which ensures that the potential of the CSS can be controlled in a range of less than 21 V, satisfied with safety voltage. The results can provide a significant reference value to define a flow rate to the potential controlling programme for CSS.展开更多
文摘为了描述微空心阴极内等离子体放电特性,采用二维流体模型对氩气微空心阴极放电进行了数值模拟。在工作气压4 42×10~4×10 Pa,放电电流1.0~2.5 m A范围内,微空心阴极内氩气放电处于正常辉光放电区域,计算获得的微空心阴极伏安特性及各种组分数密度与文献报道结果符合良好。数值模拟结果表明,在典型计算工况条件下,微空心阴极环形鞘层内电子温度可达20 e V;气体温度可高出室温几百K,说明微空心阴极内等离子体放电具有明显的气体加热效应。通过对体系内的化学动力学过程分析发现,在不同的区域内,Ar＋的产生机理不同。在阴极孔鞘层区内,高能电子直接电离基态原子占主导;在阴极孔中心处,电子冲击激发态电离占主导;在阴极孔外的放电区域中心轴线上,Ar＋的产生来自电子冲击激发态电离、Penning电离和电子直接冲击基态原子电离共同贡献。
基金Supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China(10575090)State Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (Beijing University of Science and Technology, 20082D-10)
文摘The experimental results of studies of four kinds of cathode emitting intense electron beams are demonstrated under multi-pulsed mode based on an experimental setup including two multi-pulse high voltage sources.The tested cathodes include velvet,carbon fibers,carbon nano-tubes （CNTs） and dispenser cathodes.The results indicate that all four are able to emit multi-pulsed beams.For velvet,carbon fiber and CNTs,the electron induced cathode plasma emission may be the main process and this means that there are differences in beam parameters from pulse to pulse.For dispenser cathodes tested in the experiment,although there is a little difference from pulse to pulse for some reason,thermal-electric field emission may be the main process.
文摘A project of electrical rocket engine of the future, which operates on principle of a magnetoplasmadynamic engine, is being considered. New concept of the superconducting magnetic system, stipulating installation of external field winding, in which the current is directed parallel to longitudinal axis of the engine, makes it possible to increase the magnitude of the transversal magnetic field in working chamber, to decrease the rated current and to raise the engine efficiency. On the basis of equations that describe the process of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, a mathematical model has been composed with whose help the characteristics of magnetoplasma engine having conventional design and the characteristics of the engine being developed in the project have been determined. Conducted research has shown that new design increases engine efficiency from 50% up to 91%. The project also contains a consideration of the new engine design with movable cathode and with cathode having forced cooling which helps to reduce carryover of cathode mass and to increase lifetime by several times. In conclusion, the results of calculations and constructive development of electrorocket engine for flight towards planet Jupiter, which creates tractive force of 250 N at 2500 kW power, are given.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 12075132)。
文摘The key plasma parameters under different discharge modes, such as heavy-particle and electron temperatures, electron number density, and nonequilibrium volume of plasmas, play important roles in various applications of gas discharge plasmas. In this study, a self-consistent two-dimensional nonequilibrium fluid model coupled with an external circuit model is established to reveal the mechanisms related to the discharge modes, including the normal glow, abnormal glow,arc, and glow-to-arc transition modes, with an atmospheric-pressure direct-current(DC) argon discharge as a model plasma system. The modeling results show that, under different discharge modes, the most significant difference between the preceding four discharge modes lies in the current and energy transfer processes on the cathode side. On one hand, the current to the cathode surface is mainly delivered by the ions coming from the plasma column under the glow discharge mode due to the low temperature of the solid cathode, whereas the thermionic and secondary electrons emitted from the hot cathode surface play a very important role under the arc mode with a higher cathode surface temperature and higher ion flux toward the cathode. On the other hand, the energy transfer channel on the cathode side changes from mainly heating the solid cathode under the glow mode to simultaneously heating both the solid cathode and plasma column under the arc mode with an increase in the discharge current. Consequently, the power density in the cathode sheath(P_c) was used as a key parameter for judging different discharge modes, and the range of(0.28–1.2) × 10^(12) W m^(-3) was determined as a critical window of P_c corresponding to the glow-to-arc-mode transition for the atmospheric-pressure DC argon discharge, which was also verified by comparison with the experimental results in this study and the data in the previous literature.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61571166, 11775063, and 51736003
文摘A hollow cathode is the electronic source and neutralizer of the Hall thruster and an ion thruster.When the orbit of an all-electric propulsion satellite changes from 100 km to 36 000 km, the backpressure changes by two to three orders of magnitude. In this paper, the influence of the backpressure on the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode has been studied experimentally in the so-called diode configuration. With the increase in the backpressure, the anode voltage decreases gradually, and the amplitude of the current oscillation decreases significantly. Additionally, the plasma is relatively stable, the most probable ion energy and the width of the ion energy distribution reduces, and the electron distribution function inclines toward the Maxwell distribution under high backpressure. The analysis results show that the backpressure affects the gas ionization and the ionic acoustic turbulence, which also affects the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50676026)
文摘Effect of the hollow cathode heat power on the performance of a Hall-effect thruster is investigated. The variations in the Hall-effect thruster＇s performance （thrust, specific impulse and anode efficiency） with the hollow cathode heat power was obtained from the analysis of the experimental data. Through an analysis on the coupling relationship between the electrons emitted from the hollow cathode and the environmental plasma, it was found that the heat power would affect the electron emission of the emitter and the space potential of the coupling zone, which would lead to a change in the effective discharge voltage. The experimental data agree well with the results of calculation which can be used to explain the experimental phenomena.
基金supported by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER)Program Special of Ministry of Science and Technology(No.2013GB114003)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11275135,11475122)
文摘A single cathode with a cascaded bias voltage arc plasma source has been developed with a new quartz cathode chamber,instead of the previous copper chambers,to provide better diagnostic observation and access to the plasma optical emission.The cathode chamber cooling scheme is also modified to be naturally cooled only by light emission without cooling water to improve the optical thin performance in the optical path.A single-parameter physical model has been developed to describe the power dissipated in the cascaded bias voltage arc discharge argon plasmas,which have been investigated by utilizing optical emission spectroscopy（OES） and Langmuir probe.In the experiments,discharge currents from 50 A to 100 A,argon flow rates from 800 sccm to 2000 sccm and magnetic fields of 0.1 T and 0.2 T were chosen.The results show：（a） the relationship between the averaged resistivity and the averaged current density exhibits an empirical scaling law as η∝ j^（-0.63369） and the power dissipated in the arc has a strong relation with the filling factor;（b） through the quartz,the argon ions optical emission lines have been easily observed and are dominating with wavelengths between 340 nm and 520 nm,which are the emissions of Ar^＋-434.81 nm and Ar^＋-442.60 nm line,and theintensities are increasing with the arc current and decreasing with the inlet argon flow rate;and（c） the electron density and temperature can reach 2.0 × 10^19 m^-3 and 0.48 eV,respectively,under the conditions of an arc current of 90 A and a magnetic field of 0.2 T.The half-width of the ne radial profile is approximatively equal to a few Larmor radii of electrons and can be regarded as the diameter of the plasma jet in the experiments.
文摘A highly charged manned spacecraft threatens the life of an astronaut and extravehicular activity, which can be effectively reduced by controlling the spacecraft surface charging. In this article, the controlling of surface charging on Chinese Space Station （CSS） is investigated, and a method to reduce the negative potential to the CSS is the emission electron with a hollow cathode plasma eontactor. The analysis is obtained that the high voltage （HV） solar array of the CSS collecting electron current can reach 4.5 A, which can be eliminated by emitting an adequate electron current on the CSS. The theoretical analysis and experimental results are addressed, when the minimum xenon flow rate of the hollow cathode is 4.0 sccm, the emission electron current can neutralize the collected electron current, which ensures that the potential of the CSS can be controlled in a range of less than 21 V, satisfied with safety voltage. The results can provide a significant reference value to define a flow rate to the potential controlling programme for CSS.
