Feastibility study and comparative study of air breathing electric propulsion systems operating in very low Earth orbit conditions
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Date
2024
Authors
Šťastný, Marek
Dytrych, Tomáš
Dániel, Vladimír
Mrózek, Kryštof
Obrusník, Adam
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Referee
Mark
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Vysoké učení technické v Brně, Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií
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Abstract
Air Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) systems offer a promising solution to extending the lifetime of Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) missions by using residual atmospheric particles as a propellant. ABEP systems need to provide sufficient thrust to compensate for substantial aerodynamic drag present in VLEO environments. The feasibility of operating a hypothetical ABEP system of a given geometry at a given altitude is assessed via Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) based on the following parameters: the mean pressure in the ionization chamber, compression factor and drag force acting upon the surface of the given geometry. Atmospheric models were used for reference to ensure realistic VLEO-like conditions. The comparative study is performed using a Global Plasma Model (GPM). A GPM can calculate the volume-averaged quantities of plasma systems with complex physics and reaction kinetics. The results of GPM are compared with a breadboard model of an Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ABEP system constructed by the Czech aerospace research institute (VZLU a.s.).
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Citation
Proceedings II of the 30st Conference STUDENT EEICT 2024: Selected papers. s. 232-236. ISBN 978-80-214-6230-4
https://www.eeict.cz/eeict_download/archiv/sborniky/EEICT_2024_sbornik_2.pdf
https://www.eeict.cz/eeict_download/archiv/sborniky/EEICT_2024_sbornik_2.pdf
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Peer-reviewed
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en
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© Vysoké učení technické v Brně, Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií