Ablative Z-pinch pulsed plasma thruster

The Z-pinch configuration in gas-fed devices was adapted for an ablative Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT). The motivation stems from the promise of the Z-pinch configuration for increasing the thrustto- power ratio and mass utilization efficiency. A series of ablative Z-pinch PPTs were constructed and their performance measured using a swinging gate thrust stand and mass ablation measurements. Several iterations of the design lead to the selection of a thruster with an augmented "spike" inner electrode for more exhaustive testing. Peak performance parameters for this configuration were found to be: I_sp = 574 s, ηt = 7.5 %, and T/P = 28 μN/W. In order to determine whether the plamsa was pinching, photographs of the discharge were acquired using a modified thruster having transparent Plexiglas propellant and mesh sidewalls. A current sheet structure leading to a plasma pinch was observed.