Laser induced fluorescence characterization of cusped field plasma thrusters
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Cusped field plasma thrusters are a recent development in electrostatic propulsion, aimed at improving operation in the low power regime. Several diagnostic techniques have been employed to characterize these discharges. The present study focuses on the use of laser induced fluorescence to map ion velocities throughout the plumes of several cusped field thruster variants. Laser induced fluorescence provides the opportunity to probe small plasma sources with high spatial resolution, and is particularly useful for studying plasma propulsion devices where hot, energetic and highly non-uniform environments can adversely affect intrusive probes. The first half of this thesis focuses on time-averaged laser induced fluorescence velocimetry for three cusped-field thrusters. While a time-averaged velocity diagnostic is adequate in determining overall performance, it cannot resolve the dynamics seen in oscillatory modes of thruster operation. The second half of this research focuses on the development of an advanced CW laser induced fluorescence diagnostic technique, capable of correlating high frequency current fluctuations to the resulting fluorescence excitation lineshapes. This method is validated using simulations and a 60 Hz xenon spectral lamp. It is then applied to an oscillatory mode of the diverging cusped field thruster. Results show that the positions of the ionization and peak acceleration regions in the thruster vary over the course of a discharge current oscillation, causing the ion velocities to fluctuate in time. This new method of time-synchronized CW laser-induced fluorescence will be invaluable for better understanding the dynamics of thruster operation as well as other quasi-periodic oscillatory discharges, in fields from combustion to materials processing, among others.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | MacDonald, Natalia Adrienne |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| Primary advisor | Cappelli, Mark A. (Mark Antony) |
| Thesis advisor | Cappelli, Mark A. (Mark Antony) |
| Thesis advisor | Hanson, Ronald |
| Thesis advisor | Hargus, William A |
| Advisor | Hanson, Ronald |
| Advisor | Hargus, William A |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Natalia Adrienne MacDonald. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2012. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2012 by Natalia Adrienne MacDonald
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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