2026-09-20T20:00:50Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/44221 2023-07-11 col_2142_14800 col_2142_5131 com_2142_14799 com_2142_234 com_2142_5130

Burton, Rodney L. Ahern, Drew 2013-05-24T21:54:35Z 2013-05-24T21:54:35Z 2013-05 2013-05-24T21:54:35Z 2013-05 This work investigated using the MACH2 plasma simulation code in replicating the results of previous experimental work on the gallium electromagnetic (GEM) thruster. MACH2 was also used to examine possible changes to the GEM thruster that could improve the performance of the actual thruster. Thruster radius ratios of 3.4 and 5 were examined, and a mass flow rate of 6 g/s was specified for each. In this study, several properties were examined and compared with the experimental GEM thruster. A voltage of 148 V was computed for the GEM thruster with a radius ratio of 3.4, and a voltage of 222 V was computed for a thruster with a radius ratio of 5. Electron density and axial velocity values were analyzed and compared with experimental data. The simulated magnetic field near the cathode was shown to be very close to experimental measurements. Pressure simulation results were assessed, which indicated the presence of an electrothermal thrust component. Temperatures were observed and compared, and the electrical conductivity was examined. A momentum flow rate parameter was derived to examine thrust values, and results of 124 N and 131 N with thruster efficiencies of 38% and 28% were calculated for the radius ratios of 3.4 and 5, respectively. Additionally, plasma heating was found to dominate in the region near the cathode surface. Item withdrawn by Mark Zulauf (zulauf@illinois.edu) on 2013-04-26T21:28:10Z Item was in collections: University of Illinois Theses & Dissertations (ID: 1) No. of bitstreams: 2 Ahern_Drew.docx: 3567446 bytes, checksum: 74e9d1db52feee8a94908b2571a0ad32 (MD5) Ahern_Drew.pdf: 1368137 bytes, checksum: 46759e7857bbdfb8fe734b47cb58a1aa (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-24T21:54:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Drew_Ahern.pdf: 1368137 bytes, checksum: 46759e7857bbdfb8fe734b47cb58a1aa (MD5) Ahern_Drew.docx: 3567446 bytes, checksum: 74e9d1db52feee8a94908b2571a0ad32 (MD5) license.txt: 4059 bytes, checksum: 84dda80044dc4ac568cc874ffa7a67f1 (MD5) http://hdl.handle.net/2142/44221 en Copyright 2013 Drew Ahern electric propulsion magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) gallium electromagnetic (GEM) thruster Multiblock Arbitrary Coordinate Hydromagnetic 2 (MACH2) simulation Investigation of the GEM MPD thruster using the MACH2 magnetohydrodynamics code text Aerospace Engineering 1615 Aerospace Engineering 4048 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Thesis M.S. MS: Aerospace Engr -UIUC 10KS4048MS