Propellant Flow Analysis within Electric Propulsion Test Facility

抄録

Because thruster performance and the durability of electric propulsion differ between ground tests and space operations, it is important to evaluate the rarefied propellant flow within the vacuum test facility. Through numerical analysis for rarefied propellant flow within a vacuum chamber, results confirmed that vacuum pump arrangement and thruster location influenced the propellant flow, and that a conical target installation is somewhat useful. The average pressure within the chamber is proportional to the average distance between the thruster and the pumps.