Experimental results and modeling advances in the study of the nanoparticle field extraction thruster
This paper presents experimental results and modeling advances concerning the nanoparticle Field Extraction Thruster (nanoFET) concept under development at the University of Michigan. The nanoFET concept offers an electric propulsion approach that can have a highly adjustable charge-to-mass ratio and electrostatic acceleration that potentially could span a specific impulse range from -100 s to -10,000 s and thrust power ranging from microwatts to many tens of kilowatts at high efficiency. Here, we model the extraction process for both spherical and cylindrical particles from an insulating liquid and compare the threshold extraction electric field with the minimum electric field required for the liquid to become unstable. The model suggests that there exists a range of usable particles that can be extracted prior to the onset of liquid instability. Experimental data collected appears to follow the trend predicted by the extraction model.
