| タイトル | The effect of nitrogen on xenon ion engine erosion |
| 著者（英） | Garner, Charles E.; Barnett, John W.; Pless, L. C.; Brophy, John R. |
| 著者所属（英） | Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. |
| 発行日 | 1990-07-01 |
| 言語 | eng |
| 内容記述 | Erosion studies were performed on a 30-cm diameter J-series ion engine modified for operation on xenon propellant. The erosion rates of molybdenum and tantalum badges placed at different locations within the discharge chamber were measured as a function of the percentage of nitrogen (by mass) added to the xenon propellant. Reductions in the erosion rates of these badges of a factor of 8 to 50 were observed at nitrogen addition fractions between 0.5 to 2.0 percent. Reductions in cathode-side baffle erosion were achieved by adding nitrogen to the xenon propellant or by increasing the cathode orifice diameter. Analyses show that no significant degradation in ion engine performance should be expected at these nitrogen mass fractions. XRD, XPS and Auger analyses indicate the existence of nitrogen and nitrides in the surface of some but not all of the badges used in the tests where nitrogen was added to the xenon. Difficulty in identifying surface nitrides in the samples may be due to the existence of surface oxides and contaminants, or to the small thicknesses of the nitride layers. |
| NASA分類 | SPACECRAFT PROPULSION AND POWER |
| レポートNO | 90A42567
AIAA PAPER 90-2591 |
| 権利 | Copyright |
