CLOSED-ELECTRON-DRIFT PLASMA-JET ENGINE Russian patent published in 2002 - IPC

FIELD: space engineering; electric-rocket, plasma-jet, and anode-layer engines; application use of plasma accelerators. SUBSTANCE: engine has at least one compensating cathode; discharge chamber with ionization and acceleration zones formed on one side by hollow anode around ionization zone , its width being greater than that of acceleration zone, and on other side, by internal and external rings abutting against internal and external edges of anode, respectively; gas distributor with working-medium carrying channels and working-medium injection channels running to discharge chamber which are disposed at inner and outer edges of hollow anode; and magnetic system incorporating magnetic circuit, internal and external magnetic poles, external and internal magnetizing-force sources. Hollow anode wall facing ionization zone is made of magnetically soft material; inner and outer sides of wall are spaced through longitudinal nonmagnetic gaps from internal (b_in) and external (b_ef) magnetic poles, respectively. Depressions are made in magnetic circuit between areas where external magnetizing force sources are abutting against it so that bulk of magnetic-circuit mass is concentrated in sections between internal and external magnetizing-force sources. Working medium injection channels running to discharge channel and disposed at edges of hollow anode are tangential relative to plasma jet being accelerated. Discharge chamber depth (L_pk) is not over 1.4 of its acceleration-zone width (h_ch). Shields are provided between external magnetizing-force sources over magnetic-system perimeter. EFFECT: reduced near-wall energy loss, enhanced azimuthal uniformity of plasma concentration, reduced mass and size. 6 cl, 3 dwg