公开(公告)号：US11346330B1

公开(公告)日：2022-05-31

申请号：US16111840

申请日：2018-08-24

申请人： Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, for and on behalf of the University of Alabama in Huntsville

发明人： Kunning Gabriel Xu ,  Ethan Paul Hopping

IPC分类号： F03H1/00 ,  H05H1/54 ,  B33Y80/00 ,  B33Y10/00 ,  B33Y70/00

摘要： A Hall effect thruster is provided having one or more components fabricated using additive manufacturing techniques. Additive manufacturing can be used to fabricate the propellant distributor and the discharge channel of the thruster. The propellant distributor can be separated from the anode of the thruster and can form the base of the discharge channel. The discharge channel can be detachably connected to the propellant distributor using one of a threaded connection or a snap-fit connection. The discharge channel can have an annular shape and electromagnets and magnetic poles can be placed in the surrounding areas of the discharge channel.

公开(公告)号：US12078154B1

公开(公告)日：2024-09-03

申请号：US16153297

申请日：2018-10-05

申请人： Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama, for and on behalf of The University of Alabama in Huntsville

发明人： Kunning Gabriel Xu ,  Ryan Patrick Gott

IPC分类号： F03H1/00 ,  B64G1/40 ,  H01J1/02

CPC分类号： F03H1/0087 ,  B64G1/405 ,  F03H1/0018 ,  H01J1/025

摘要： The present disclosure generally pertains to devices and methods for generating thrust in vehicles, for instance in space applications. A heaterless, insertless hollow cathode utilizes AC and pulsed DC electric fields to ionize the propellant gas and generate a plasma plume. The cathode uses an argon microplasma generated in a quartz tube with a tungsten filament and brass ion collector. Free electrons are then drawn from the plasma plume and supplied to a thruster engine.