Factors Affecting Ion Thruster’s Performance

Abstract

In this project, we investigated how ion thrusters produce propulsion and how the design of ion thrusters affects the performance of the thruster. In the experiment, we build a high voltage power supply (0- 50 kV) and foil rings to produce ion wind. When considering the design of the thruster, we focus on three variables: the volume of the space, where ions are produced and the electric field intensity. Thus, to investigate the first variable we made foil rings with different radius and change the distance between the ring and positive cathode. To determine the propulsion produced we use a speed sensor to determine the magnitude of the wind produced.