Cu Aerospace, LLC

University of Illinois

Darren King

David Loren Carroll

Rodney L Burton

Curtis A Woodruff

Joseph T Verdeyen

Neil John Nejmanowski

Wayne C Solomon

Magdalena Parta

Neil John Hejmanowski

Curtis Woodruff

Rodney Burton

A Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) has an anode, a coaxial insulator, and a fiber propellant feed system. At least two cathodes insulated from each other are configured about the coaxial insulator to define an interior profile shaped into a nozzle region. At least one igniter fitted through each cathode. Wherein when the igniters are triggered, the igniters expel electrons toward the anode to ignite a primary high energy discharge between the anode and the cathodes thereby creating a plasma that vaporizes the fiber propellant. The dissociated fiber propellant combines with the primary high energy discharge to create a partially or fully ionized plasma, that is electromagnetically and electrothermally accelerated to produce predominantly {right arrow over (j)}×{right arrow over (B)}{right arrow over (j)}×{right arrow over (B)} thrust.

Fiber-fed advanced pulsed plasma thruster (FPPT)

A Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) utilizes a motor to feed PTFE fiber to its discharge region, enabling high PPT propellant throughput and variable exposed fuel area. A highly parallel ceramic capacitor bank lowers system specific mass. Impulse bits (I-bits) from 0.057-0.241 mN-s have been measured on a thrust stand with a specific impulse (Isp) of 900-2400 s, representing an enhancement from state-of-the-art PPT technology. A 1 U (10 cm&#xd7;10 cm&#xd7;10 cm, or 1 liter) volume FPPT thruster package will provide 2900-7700 N-s total impulse, enabling 0.6-1.6 km/s delta-V for a 5 kg CubeSat. A 1 U design variation with 590 g propellant enables as much as10,000 N-s and a delta-V of 2 km/s for a 5 kg CubeSat. Increasing the form factor to 2U increases propellant mass to 1.4 kg and delta-V to 10.7 km/s for an 8 kg CubeSat.

The monofilament vaporization propulsion system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a mechanical feed, an elongated barrel, a heater block, a tube, and a nozzle. A monofilament solid propellant is wound around a spool and fed into the mechanical feed. The elongated barrel is configured to receive the solid propellant towards a second end. The heater block is positioned near the second end of the barrel and configured to heat the propellant into a liquid propellant as the solid propellant moves towards the second end. The tube receives the liquid propellant and is configured to evaporate the liquid propellant into a gaseous propellant. The gaseous propellant enters a nozzle in communication with the tube. The gaseous propellant being fed into the nozzle entrance expands there-through to create propulsion out an nozzle exit.

Monofilament vaporization propulsion systems

A Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) will enable enhanced low Earth orbit, cis-lunar, and deep space missions for small satellites. FPPT technology utilizes an electric motor to feed PTFE fiber to its discharge region, enabling high PPT propellant throughput and variable exposed fuel area. An innovative, parallel ceramic capacitor bank dramatically lowers system specific mass. FPPT minimizes range safety concerns by the use of non-pressurized, non-toxic, inert propellant and construction materials. Estimates are that a 1U (10 cm&#xd7;10 cm&#xd7;10 cm, or 1 liter) volume FPPT thruster package may provide more than 10,000 N-s total impulse and a delta-V of 1.4 km/s delta-V for an 8 kg CubeSat.

In one embodiment of the present invention an oxygen iodine laser includes a gas mixing section. Ground state oxygen and a carrier gas are introduced into the first gas mixing section, sometimes separately. The laser includes a discharge region to generate at least said excited oxygen from the flow of the first gas mixing section. A sensitizer gas having a lower ionization threshold than ground state oxygen is also introduced into the first gas mixing section, such that electrons are more easily produced in the electrical generator. The laser system includes introducing a source of iodine into the excited singlet delta oxygen flow to generate a laser-active gas. In another embodiment a conditioner is placed into the gas mixing section to help mix the flow and/or introduce one or more of the aforementioned gases.

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Champaign, IL, United States of America

Darren King