Hybrid electrothermal/electromagnetic arcjet thruster and thrust-producing method

A hybrid electrothermal/electromagnetic thruster, comprising:

• (a) a body having a longitudinal central axis;
• (b) a plurality of electrothermal propulsion mechanisms defined in said body in radially and circumferentially spaced relation about and extending along said central axis thereof, each of said electrothermal propulsion mechanisms having tandemly-arranged constriction and expansion zones and being operable to concurrently receive a flow of gaseous propellant through said constriction zone and generate an electric arc through said constriction zone to said expansion zone, said arcs interacting with the propellant flows such that the propellant flows are partially ionized and electrothermally accelerated from said constriction zones through said expansion zones;
• and
• (c) an electromagnetic propulsion mechanism defined in said body coaxially along said central axis thereof, between said electrothermal propulsion mechanisms and extending downstream thereof, said electro-magnetic propulsion mechanism having an expansion chamber communicating with, and extending downstream of, said expansion zones of said electro-thermal propulsion mechanisms, said electromagnetic propulsion mechanism being operable to concurrently receive the flows of electrothermally-accelerated partially-ionized propellant in said expansion chamber from said expansion zones and generate a current flux and a magnetic field in respectively radial and azimuthal directions relative to said central axis, said radial current flux and azimuthal magnetic field interacting with one another and with the flow of electrothermally-accelerated partially-ionized propellant such that the flow of propellant is electromagnetically accelerated at a higher rate than the electrothermal acceleration thereof.

A hybrid method of electrothermally and electromagnetically producing thrust, comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving flow of gaseous propellant through a constriction zone of an electrothermal propulsion mechanism;
• (b) generating an electric arc through the constriction zone to an expansion zone of the electrothermal propulsion mechanism, being tandemly-arranged with, and extending downstream of, the constriction zone, said arc interacting with the propellant flow such that the propellant is partially ionized and electrothermally accelerated from the constriction zone through the expansion zone;
• (c) receiving the flow of electrothermally-accelerated partially-ionized propellant in an expansion chamber of an electromagnetic propulsion mechanism which communicates with, and extends downstream from, the expansion zone of the electrothermal propulsion mechanism;
• and
• (d) generating a radial current flux and an azimuthal magnetic field in the expansion chamber of the electromagnetic propulsion mechanism, said radial current flux and azimuthal magnetic field interacting with one another and with the flow of electrothermally-accelerated propellant within the expansion chamber such that the flow of propellant is electromagnetically accelerated through the expansion chamber at a higher rate than the electrothermal acceleration thereof.

A hybrid method of electrothermally and electromagnetically producing thrust, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an electromagnetic propulsion mechanism along a central axis and a plurality of electrothermal propulsion mechanisms in radially and circumferentially spaced relation about and extending along the central axis, said electromagnetic propulsion mechanism extending downstream of said electrothermal propulsion mechanism;
• (b) receiving flows of gaseous propellant through constriction zones of the electrothermal propulsion mechanisms;
• (c) generating electric arcs through the respective constriction zones to expansion zones of the electrothermal propulsion mechanisms, being tandemly-arranged with, and extending downstream of, the respective constriction zones, said arcs interacting with the propellant flows such that the propellant is partially ionized and electrothermally accelerated from the constriction zones through the expansion zones;
• (d) receiving the flow of electrothermally-accelerated partially-ionized propellant in an expansion chamber of the electromagnetic propulsion mechanism which communicates with, and extends downstream from, the expansion zones of the respective electrothermal propulsion mechanisms;
• and
• (e) generating a current flux and a magnetic field in respective radial and azimuthal directions relative to the central axis, said radial current flux and azimuthal magnetic field interacting with one another and with the flow of electrothermally-accelerated propellant within the expansion chamber such that the flow of propellant is electromagnetically accelerated through the expansion chamber at a higher rate than the electrothermal acceleration thereof.