Study of the circuit characteristics between electrodes in a pulsed plasma thruster

Abstract In a pulsed plasma thruster, the voltage distribution between the electrodes is a key factor that influences the ionization process. However, few researchers have conducted in-depth studies of this phenomenon in the past. Reported here are measurements of the voltage distribution between the plates of a parallel-plate pulsed plasma thruster under different discharge voltages, based on which the variations in the total circuit inductance and resistance as well as those between the plates are calculated. The results show that the time-averaged voltage across the plates accounts for 28.7%–50.4% of the capacitor voltage. As the capacitor initial voltage increases from 1250 V to 2000 V, the voltage across the plates rises, but its proportion relative to the capacitor voltage decreases. For every 250 V increase in the capacitor initial voltage, the average voltage proportion across the plates decreases by approximately 2%–3%. Additionally, the voltage proportion decreases gradually from the end near the propellant outward. The voltage distribution ratio between the plates is correlated with the proportions of the resistance and inductance between the plates relative to the total circuit.