Performance of a multilayer ceramic capacitor power system for pulsed plasma thrusters

The primary goals of this research are to evaluate alternative energy storage technologies and power system options for pulsed plasma thrusters (PPT). This paper describes novel techniques to reduce the mass and volume of PPTs which are emerging as interesting propulsion options for small spacecraft applications. The emphasis is on efficient capacitor energy storage, namely multi-layer ceramic capacitors, and the Marx bank concept for voltage multiplication. NOMENCLATURE Parameter C = capacitance [F] E = energy [J] I = current [A] I = current (time dependent) R = resistance [Q] Q = charge [C] t = time [s] V = voltage [V] T = time constant [s] Indices P s n LR mea = parallel = series = number of stages/units = load resistance = measured