Performance characterization and comparison of two- and tri-electrode configurations in a DBD plasma channel thruster utilizing volumetric and surface discharge mechanisms

This study investigates performance enhancements in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma channel thrusters through the implementation of volumetric discharge (VD) mechanism. To investigate these enhancements, two configurations were examined: a conventional two-electrode design and a novel tri-electrode design. Experimental results demonstrate that the VD mechanism significantly enhances thrust generation in both configurations, with increases reaching up to 312% and 500% for the two- and tri-electrode designs, respectively, compared to their surface discharge counterparts. These significant thrust increases are accompanied by substantial improvements in thruster effectiveness, reaching 290% and 102% for the respective configurations. Notably, a maximum thruster effectiveness of 0.31 mN/W was achieved. Analysis of the observed performance trends revealed a strong power-law dependence of performance parameters on applied voltage. Furthermore, it demonstrates a strong correlation between thrust enhancement and the shift from volumetric to surface discharge characteristics, indicating that the VD mechanism effectively utilizes the applied power for efficient plasma generation and momentum transfer. These findings highlight the potential of the VD mechanism in combination with the tri-electrode design for developing high-thrust DBD plasma thrusters for micro-propulsion applications.