A HIGH REPETITION-RATE, HIGH POWER, ALL-SOLID-STATE PULSED DRIVER FOR ELECTRODELESS INDUCTIVE THRUSTERS

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH POWER, LONG LIFE, HIGH IMPULSE THRUSTERS FOR NUCLEAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION. THE PULSED ELECTRODELESS INDUCTIVE THRUSTER HAS SEVERAL ADVANTAGES INCLUDING AN ULTRALOW EROSION RATE, LONG THRUSTER LIFE, AND HIGH POWER CAPABILITY. THE PERFORMANCE OF PRESENT INDUCTIVE THRUSTERS HAS BEEN HINDERED BY THE LACK OF RELIABLE, EFFICIENT, PULSED-POWER TECHNOLOGY. NOVEL ALL-SOLID-STATE PULSED DRIVERS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN DEVELOPED THAT HAVE LIFETIMES OF GREATER THAN 10(11) PULSES AND CAN OPERATE AT REPETITION RATES IF 10KHZ. THESE HIGH POWER PULSED DRIVERS CAN BE DESIGNED TO GENERATE THE OPTIMAL PULSE SHAPE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR RAPID GAS BREAKDOWN, EFFICIENT PLASMA ACCELERATION, AND RECOVERY OF THE REFLECTED ELECTRICAL ENERGY. MAJOR BENEFITS DERIVED FROM THESE ALL-SOLID-STATE PULSED DRIVERS INCLUDE HIGHER POWER CAPABILITY, LOWER SPECIFIC MASS, LONGER LIFETIME, AND INCREASED ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THE TOTAL IMPULSE OF AN ALL-SOLID-STATE INDUCTIVE THRUSTER IS PROJECTED TO BE 10(8) TO 10(9) N-SEC AS COMPARED TO 10(6) N-SEC FOR CONVENTIONAL ELECTRIC THRUSTERS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I EFFORT IS TO DETERMINE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF POWERING INDUCTIVE THRUSTERS USING A MODULAR DESIGN. SUCH A DESIGN WILL INCORPORATE SEVERAL ALL-SOLID-STATE DDRIVERS OPERATING IN PARALLEL TO ACHIEVE MEGAWATT AVERAGE POWER REQUIRED FOR NUCLEAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION.