Thrust density enhancement by booster electrodes in solid-state propulsion systems

Insufficient thrust density is a critical issue in a solid-state electro-aerodynamic propulsion system (SSEP) during vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones. Therefore, this study proposes the use of booster electrodes designed to enhance ion generation. To evaluate its performance, numerical simulations were conducted using a two-dimensional, three-species plasma fluid model. The results were experimentally validated, demonstrating that booster electrodes enhance the thrust density of SSEP by ∼4.46 times at 15 kV, 2.22 times at 20 kV, and 1.84 times at 25 kV when compared with the results of the configuration without the booster electrode. This study encourages the practical applications of VTOL drones by demonstrating the improvement in thrust density with booster electrodes through both numerical analysis and experiments.