Ion Thruster Engines

 By 

    Chinmaya. Srivatsa 

  

All of us know the concept of a rocket. Using Newton’s 3rd law of motion (​Every action has an equal and opposite reaction)a​nd the burning of a fuel such as Kerosene or Hydrogen they propel themselves and the cargo they carry to outer space. The efficiency of such rockets is questionable. For a 550 ton rocket ( SpaceX Falcon Heavy ) it carries about 400 tonnes of fuel and oxidiser. It only spews out hot gases at a speed of 5 km/s speed. This brings its efficiency rate to a mere maximum of 60%.


Image Source : ​https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298385​ A SpaceX Falcon Heavy ready to blast into space !!!


Is there a more efficient way to propel rockets? Thanks to human innovations, yes. There is a solution. It is called the Ion thruster. They have an efficiency of more than 90% !!! Ion thrusters are engines generally used to propel satellites in outer space which use ions spewed out at speeds of 90km/s to provide thrust. Thus the name ​Ion thrusters. But how do these work?

Image source : ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridded_ion_thruster​ The inner structure of a Gridded Ion Thruster


There is a chamber in the centre of the engine where atoms of an inert gas such as Xenon are present. Electrons are bombarded on them and they are made to lose electrons. This creates positively charged ions which are spewed out of the engine out of the back side through a double grid of Positively and Negatively charged grids. The ejection of these protons at speeds of 90 km/s provides thrust to the spacecraft as a whole. The electron gun that bombards electrons needs electricity to operate. This is provided by Solar Panels.


Image Source : ​https://www.markstechnologynews.com/2008/08/ocean-circulation-explorer-coolest.html​ A satellite around earth


But these engines produce very little but sustained thrust ( almost in millinewtons ). They can provide a constant thrust for years together !!! But the amount of thrust produced is very less. Satellites need to stay in orbit around comets, moons and planets for years together. This makes ion thrusters ideal for use on satellites. But some satellites are very heavy. It is not possible to put them into high speeds very easily. Thus, scientists have researched a way to increase the thrust obtained from an Ion Engine. They concluded that it is possible if power input to electron gun is increased.

Image source : ​https://www.space.com/nuclear-propulsion-future-spacecraft-nasa-chief.html​ A nuclear powered satellite

What gives more power than solar panels while in space? Maybe windmills or hydroelectricity but we don’t find wind or water in space. An alternate power source which doesn’t need either is Nuclear Power. On a large scale, it turns out Solar panels are cheaper. But on a small scale never tried before, Nuclear Power turns out cheap and also produces much more energy with a higher voltage needed for the ion thruster. Thus a combination of a mini nuclear power plant and an ion thruster can solve the problem of a lack of power in ion thrusters preventing them from use in space flight. One day maybe these Ion Thrusters may help humans reach Mars and further in the quest for knowledge !!

Thank you!


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