Comparative analytical analysis and component selection of resistojet thruster for satellite propulsion

Abstract

Resistojet is a thruster based on electrothermal propulsion which uses heating element to increase the temperature of the thruster, so the propellant ionizes and gives out thrust at the nozzle section. Given their high propulsive performance, resistojets are widely used in satellite technology for control, tangential orbit modification, and propulsion. Therefore, numerous experimental and numerical research was carried out to comprehend the performance of a resistojet. The four major elements of a resistojet thruster are the material for the heating element, the cooling system, the type of nozzle and the choice of propellant. The combination of these four major elements matters greatly to design an efficient resistojet thruster. The main objective here is to compare and analyze the existing high performance resistojet thrusters. Therefore, it is critical to comprehend how well the four major elements of a resistojet thruster perform under different conditions. A resistojets’ performance is greatly affected by the design of the thruster. The right choice of propellant plays an important role with respect to the performance of a resistojet thruster. Every propellant type used up to this point has been thoroughly analyzed with respect to its effect on the resistojets’ thrust and specific impulse values. Parallelly, several cooling system and flow channel designs were examined to a great extent keeping the metrics of a resistojet in mind. A thruster's nozzle is a part that enables hot gases to escape at a higher velocity. Hence, version of nozzle types was studied, and their performances are charted in this paper. In addition to the performance characteristics, future aspects of the resistojet in electric propulsion has been discussed.