Original title: Feastibility study and comparative study of air breathing electric propulsion systems operating in very low Earth orbit conditions
Authors: Šťastný, Marek ; Dytrych, Tomáš ; Dániel, Vladimír ; Mrózek, Kryštof ; Obrusník, Adam
Document type: Papers
Language: eng
Publisher: Vysoké učení technické v Brně, Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií
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.).
Keywords: ABEP; Air Breathing Electric Propulsion; Direct Simulation Monte Carlo; DSMC; Global Plasma Model (GPM); Intake; Very Low Earth Orbit; VLEO
Host item entry: Proceedings II of the 30st Conference STUDENT EEICT 2024: Selected papers, ISBN 978-80-214-6230-4, ISSN 2788-1334

Institution: Brno University of Technology (web)
Document availability information: Fulltext is available in the Brno University of Technology Digital Library.
Original record: https://hdl.handle.net/11012/249322

Permalink: http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-622550


The record appears in these collections:
Universities and colleges > Public universities > Brno University of Technology
Conference materials > Papers
 Record created 2024-07-21, last modified 2024-07-21


No fulltext
  • Export as DC, NUŠL, RIS
  • Share