SPACECRAFT LOW-THRUST ENGINE Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC F03H1/00 H05H1/00 B64G1/40 

FIELD: engines and pumps.

SUBSTANCE: engine is intended for use in space programs and accelerators. A small-thrust engine incorporates a chamber arranged inside the tube with a lengthwise axis making that of the engine proper. The said engine is furnished with an injector to inject ionising gas into the said tube from the chamber one side and generators. Two-coil magnetic field generator induces a magnetic field with its vector parallel to the axis, while the magnetic field features two maxima along the said axis. The aforesaid generator has the first resonance chamber between two coils to generate microwave ionising field at the electronic cyclotron resonance frequency in the chamber between two magnetic field maxima and the second resonance chamber generating a ponderomotive field accelerating the ionised gas. Gas ionisation is ensured by the electronic cyclotron resonance along with acceleration of electrons and ions being initiated by the magnetic ponderomotive force.

EFFECT: ease of manufacture, durability, faultless operation and acceleration of particles to higher velocities.

29 cl, 17 dwg