Characterization of Ionic Thrusters in a Low-Pressure Wind Tunnel
Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/Report › Conference contribution › Contributed
Contributors
Abstract
This paper presents initial measurement results for atmospheric electrohydrodynamic thrusters in a novel low-pressure wind tunnel test stand. The advantage of the used test stand is the ability to independently vary freestream velocity up to $10$\,m/s and ambient pressure down to $0.4$\,bar. Preliminary measurement results of thrust, drag, and electrical characteristics are obtained for two distinct emitter-collector configurations: wire-to-airfoil and wire-to-grid. These conditions simulate the potential application of ionic thrusters as propulsion systems for high-altitude platforms. Although the data quality and quantity do not yet support a full characterization of the coupled effects of flow speed and pressure, these initial results identify the primary sources of uncertainty, e.g. limited signal-to-noise ratio in the low-thrust regime, suboptimal interelectrode spacing, and indirect current measurement errors. This will guide targeted improvements in the next experimental campaign. Even with these limitations, the wire-grid thruster already shows promising gains in net thrust and reduced drag compared to the wire-airfoil design. Ultimately, this work establishes the foundational methodology and diagnostic framework needed to develop reliable performance correlations for EHD propulsion on high-altitude platforms.
Details
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Processding of 11th European Conference for AeroSpace Sciences (EUCASS) Conference |
| Place of Publication | Rome |
| Pages | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2025 |
| Peer-reviewed | No |
Conference
| Title | 11th European Conference for Aero-Space Sciences |
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| Abbreviated title | EUCASS 2025 |
| Conference number | 11 |
| Duration | 30 June - 4 July 2025 |
| Website | |
| Degree of recognition | International event |
| Location | Congress Center Auditorium Della Tecnica |
| City | Rome |
| Country | Italy |
External IDs
| ORCID | /0000-0001-6734-704X/work/199215194 |
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