First Breakthrough for Future Air-Breathing Magneto-Plasma Propulsion Systems

TL;DR

This paper reports the first successful tests of an air-breathing magneto-plasma propulsion system, demonstrating a novel pulsed plasma thruster capable of achieving jet engine-like thrust ratios and potential for future aircraft and airship applications.

Contribution

It introduces a new magneto-plasma propulsion technology based on plasma fusion devices, achieving ignition at atmospheric pressure with high pulse frequency and thrust capabilities.

Findings

Successful ignition of dense plasma focus discharge at one atmosphere

Thrust-to-area ratios comparable to modern jet engines

Potential for aircraft and airship propulsion up to 50 km altitude

Abstract

A new breakthrough in jet propulsion technology since the invention of the jet engine is achieved. The first critical tests for future air-breathing magneto-plasma propulsion systems have been successfully completed. In this regard, it is also the first time that a pinching dense plasma focus discharge could be ignited at one atmosphere and driven in pulse mode using very fast, nanosecond electrostatic excitations to induce self-organized plasma channels for ignition of the propulsive main discharge. Depending on the capacitor voltage (200-600 V) the energy input at one atmosphere varies from 52-320 J/pulse corresponding to impulse bits from 1.2-8.0 mNs. Such a new pulsed plasma propulsion system driven with one thousand pulses per second would already have thrust-to-area ratios (50-150 kN/m2) of modern jet engines. An array of thrusters could enable future aircrafts and airships to start from ground and reach altitudes up to 50km and beyond. The needed high power could be provided by future compact plasma fusion reactors already in development by aerospace companies. The magneto-plasma compressor itself was originally developed by Russian scientists as plasma fusion device and was later miniaturized for supersonic flow control applications. So the first breakthrough is based on a spin-off plasma fusion technology.