METHOD OF CONTROLLING ION ELECTRIC ROCKET ENGINES AND APPARATUS FOR REALISING SAID METHOD (VERSIONS) Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC H05H1/54 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: invention can be used in ion electric rocket engines (ERE) for control thereof in order to ensure normal operation of ion ERE in operating conditions on spacecraft and orbiting manned space stations (OMS). The method of controlling thrust of ion electric rocket engines involves reducing the difference in thrust of two or more ion engines which are part of the thrust module with neutralisers by controlling the discharge current of the engine in order to compensate for deterioration of thrust using several groups of plasma accelerators. A plasma ion accelerator is formed in the ion electric rocket engine using a diaphragm gas-flow hollow cathode - neutraliser and a pulsed laser. The pulse laser forms a laser beam. The laser beam is directed into the self-contained cavity of the neutraliser filled with an influx of the working medium of the ion engine. The laser beam is focused in the volume of the gas-flow working medium and optical discharge is excited therein with formation of plasma. Ion beams are formed by varying plasma parameters. The ion beams are conveyed under the effect of an external electric field from the boundary of the inner plasma to the zone of the main accelerated ion flux of the electric rocket engine. These ion beams generate additional thrust and compensate for thrust deterioration of that engine, with subsequent elimination of difference in thrust of the thrust module. The apparatus for controlling thrust of ion electric rocket engines has an auxiliary power source and a diaphragm gas-flow hollow cathode - neutraliser, consisting of a housing of the cathode self-contained cavity, connected to a unit for feeding the working medium, the cathode self-contained cavity which is interfaced with the unit for feeding working medium, a diaphragm lying inside the housing of the cathode self-contained cavity, and an auxiliary anode electrically insulated from the diaphragm. The apparatus includes a laser plug mounted on the cathode self-contained cavity to form a cavity over the surface of the laser plug for allowing working medium of the ion engine into the cavity of the hollow cathode, and a pipe for conveying ion beams. There is a diaphragm on one end of the pipe and an auxiliary anode on the other, wherein an auxiliary power source is made in form of a pulsed laser whose optical output is connected to the optical input of the laser plug.

EFFECT: invention increases efficiency of designing an electric rocket engine based on thrust modules and combination thereof into a multi-engine electric rocket installation for providing a larger momentum for a long period of active operation.

8 cl, 3 dwg