IONIC ROCKET ENGINE AND METHOD OF ITS OPERATION Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC F02K99/00 F03H1/00 

FIELD: rocket technics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to rocket engineering. Ionic rocket engine containing interconnected and located coaxially to combustion chamber, comprising head with injector plate for spraying fuel components and cylindrical part, having fuel and oxidizer nozzles on plate, to which is connected a magnetic plasma accelerator and then – supersonic gas-dynamic nozzle with convergent and divergent parts, at least one igniter, and corona electrode, wherein corona-forming electrode is installed on plate in combustion chamber inner cavity, on conical housing of head there are permanent magnets with axial magnetization, and on the cylindrical part there are permanent magnets with radial magnetization, at the output of the magnetic accelerator there is an accelerating electrode inside it, at the outlet end of the nozzle there is a neutralizer electrode, the nozzle is made with a cooling gap between the "cold" and "hot" walls, gap cavity is connected to fuel nozzle installed concentrically to outlet end of nozzle, injector nozzles of propellant are installed on injector plate, and the igniter is made in the form of a laser ignition plug and is installed on the conical wall of the head. Magnetic accelerator comprises ferromagnetic core and several radial windings installed concentrically to its housing, electric wires are connected to radial windings, in which current regulators are installed. At the outlet end of the divergent part of the gas-dynamic nozzle, a nozzle-probe is hingedly pivotally mounted. Said probe is composed of telescopic rods. Disclosed is a method of operating an ionic rocket engine, involving formation of ions and plasma in a combustion chamber by feeding fuel and an oxidizer thereof into ignition and corona discharge in the inner cavity of the combustion chamber, wherein after occurrence of corona discharge, a propellant is supplied to the combustion chamber and fuel supply is switched off and a laser overhang of the ignition is periodically turned on to heat up the corona-forming electrode. Propellant can be xenon gas.

EFFECT: higher reliability of start and controllability of force and thrust vector.

6 cl, 4 dwg