The present invention relates to electrospray thrusters, processes of making electrospray thrusters, and methods of using such electrospray thrusters. Applicant's thruster incorporates a unique geometry for the emitters and extractor grid that effectively eliminates ion interception on the grid, which is the primary failure mechanism of current devices, yet maintains the electric field conditions necessary for ion emission to occur. Without grid impingement, the thrust produced by the thruster is increased and thruster operational lifetime is increased substantially. Additionally, this non-traditional geometry also allows for higher electric fields at the emitter tip for a given applied voltage, thus enabling lower operational voltage of the thruster as compared to conventional designs.

This design processes free radical flows following physical principals that explain their movement conditioned by electromagnetic fields expressed in the convergence of induced field lines, in ways apart from existing designs. It describes specific means to obtain free radicals, process, and exhaust them within uniquely designed processing chambers.

The apparatus includes high frequency resonance transformers that exhaust free radicals into primary processing chambers generating a hot toroidal plasma, confined by an electromagnetic gate at one end of the chamber. The continuous injection of free radicals induce an increase in pressure and temperature that result in velocities greater than thermal electron velocity of the plasma. This velocity variance provides a current that generates a magnetic field component sufficient for conducing a plasma towards an exhaust port at the end of the chamber. As this plasma is exhausted, charge imbalances are realized, provoking additional accelerations of the free radicals.

An ion beam generator includes a discharge chamber with a backplate and tubular sidewalk A source of propellant, for example, Xenon gas is provided to the discharge chamber. First and second annular magnets are disposed on or near the backplate, and configured with alternating polarities such that a pair of ring-cusps form on the backplate, without any magnetic ring-cusp formation on the sidewalk A cathode assembly extends into the discharge chamber to provide primary electrons to ionize the propellant.

An electrospray device for generating electrospray from a ferrofluid. The electrospray device includes an emitter, an extraction electrode, and a magnet. The emitter is configured to receive a ferrofluidic liquid. The extraction electrode includes an aperture and is positioned a first distance from the emitter. The magnet generates a magnetic field in a first direction toward the emitter. The magnetic field causes Rosensweig instability in the ferrofluidic liquid, and generates a ferrofluidic peak in the ferrofluidic liquid. The magnet is positioned a second distance from the emitter, and the emitter is positioned between the extraction electrode and the magnet. The ferrofluidic liquid is biased at a first electrical potential and the extraction electrode is biased at a second electrical potential. A difference between the first electrical potential and the second electrical potential is sufficient to generate an electric field at the ferrofluidic peak that generates electrospray from the ferrofluidic peak.

The invention relates to a plasma accelerator that produces and controls a plasma stream exhaust, in particular for space propulsion. The ions are produced inside the discharge chamber by working gas collisional ionization by electrons from a single electron source placed outside, also employed for ion beam neutralization. The ion motion is directed outwards through the exit side by the electric field between a cathode grid and the walls of the plasma chamber. The acceleration voltage imparts energy to the ion flux and an electrically biased control grid modulates the ion outflow from the discharge chamber and the electron inflow from the electron source. This allows electrical control of throttle and/or modulation of thrust delivered along the longitudinal direction of the thruster axis. Several plasma accelerators could be clustered together to provide controlled non-axial thrust using the individual control of throttle.

The invention relates to a plasma accelerator that produces and controls a plasma stream exhaust, in particular for space propulsion. The ions are produced inside the discharge chamber by working gas collisional ionization by electrons from a single electron source placed outside, also employed for ion beam neutralization. The ion motion is directed outwards through the exit side by the electric field between a cathode grid and the walls of the plasma chamber. The acceleration voltage imparts energy to the ion flux and an electrically biased control grid modulates the ion outflow from the discharge chamber and the electron inflow from the electron source. This allows electrical control of throttle and/or modulation of thrust delivered along the longitudinal direction of the thruster axis. Several plasma accelerators could be clustered together to provide controlled non-axial thrust using the individual control of throttle.

An ion thruster, comprising: a discharge chamber for accelerating ions towards one direction; an inflow opening for intake of a propellant into the discharge chamber; a discharge cathode, shaped in a form of a propeller, for releasing electrons in the discharge chamber, thereby ionizing the propellant in the discharge chamber, wherein the discharge cathode is rotatable around an axis, thereby propelling inward to the discharge chamber the propellant thereof; an outflow opening for exhausting the ions from the discharge chamber; and an accelerator electrode, shaped in a form of a propeller, for accelerating the ions towards the one direction of the outflow opening, wherein the accelerator electrode is rotatable around an axis, thereby propelling outward from the discharge chamber the ions and neutral atoms thereof; wherein the ion thruster comprises electromagnetic coils for generating a magnetic field inside the discharge chamber.

A microwave-cyclotron-resonance plasma thruster including a permanent-magnet stack, a coaxial electrode array, an anode and a cathode, wherein: the permanent-magnet stack includes at least one permanent magnet, the at least one permanent magnet being annular and having a magnetisation in the axial direction; the coaxial electrode array has an inner coaxial conductor and an outer coaxial conductor; and the thruster is semiconductor-based and cylindrical, the inner cross-sectional surface area being circular or elliptical or circular-like. Also, an operating method for operating the microwave-cyclotron-resonance plasma thruster.

The present subject matter provides an electromagnetic propulsion system comprising: at least one electromagnetic thrustor configured to intake air, ionize the air to produce ionized air, pass the ionized air through at least one electromagnetic field and emit the ionized air in a first direction, to reach acceleration, thereby creating a thrust force in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, and an electrostatic repulser surrounding the at least one electromagnetic field, configured to pass at least one inducing element therethrough and control a velocity and acceleration rate of the at least one inducing element, wherein a velocity and acceleration rate of the ionized air through the at least one electromagnetic thrustor is induced by the velocity and acceleration rate of the at least one inducing element in the electrostatic repulser. Additional embodiments of the electromagnetic propulsion system are disclosed herein.

Ionic thruster methods and apparatus for aircraft are disclosed. An example ionic thruster for aircraft includes a nozzle. The nozzle includes an outlet and an inlet, the inlet to receive fluid and containing an electrode mount. A ground electrode is disposed within the nozzle. Conducting pins are coupled to the electrode mount, each of the pins having a first end coupled to the electrode mount and a second end positioned closer to the ground electrode than the first end, the pins spaced apart from the ground electrode.