10.2514/6.2021-1435">
 

Charge Mitigation Technologies for Aircraft Platforms

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-4-2021

Abstract

Current research into ion-based advanced propulsion systems, such as air-breathing Hall effect thrusters on high-velocity aircraft and ion-propelled thrusters on spacecraft, results in the need to address the accompanying residual electric charge accumulation on the ungrounded flight platform. Common solutions to this issue involve heated cathodes, thermionic emitters, or other charge-balancing technology to mitigate charge accumulation. However, when combined with additional charge-generating phenomena such as atmospheric tribology, localized plasma encounters, or internal platform processes, the task of mitigating accumulated charge becomes more challenging and must be approached more aggressively. To assess charge mitigation technologies and their effectiveness on aircraft, an experimental testbed is constructed. A Van de Graaff generator provides static charge accumulation levels exceeding a megavolt when combined with a high voltage direct current source generator. Details of the testbed and the planned experimental processes are provided herein. Further research into this topic will form the basis of a student thesis at the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Comments

Conference Session: Methods and Simulations for Lunar Surface and Earth Atmospheric Vehicles

Co-author Mitchell Rudy was an AFIT graduate student at the time of this conference. (AFIT-ENG-MS-21-M-078, March 2021)

Source Publication

AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum

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