由於電漿技術的快速發展，各種電力推進裝置應運而生，以滿足不同任務微衛星的需求。其中，脈衝式電漿推進器 (PPT) 在當今蓬勃發展的太空工業中獲得廣泛地應用，但碳沉積（阻礙其放電）的機制與問題相對未得深入探討，也幾乎沒有得到有效的解決方案。本文研究兩種電力推進系統—真空陰極電弧推進器（VCAT 或 VAT）和 PPT，取其優點進而提出創新的組合。本研究的重點是如何利用這兩種推進器的優勢並將它們用於 3U 或更小的立方衛星。所有特性和參數都進行了分類和量化，以確定新的組合—真空陰極電弧誘發脈衝式電漿推進器(簡稱VAI-PPT)，並將當前的設計進行優化。研究證實VCAT可以替代原本PPT的點火器，縮小推進器的總體積。此外，鐵氟龍 (PTFE) 可視為取代絕緣層之介電材料同時又可作為推進劑取代石墨層。另一個重要發現是推進器的效率在很大程度上是取決於電源系統的電容。根據多種可靠的診斷系統，本研究所提出的 VAI-PPT 可以完成 1500 ~ 3000 秒的比衝範圍。在輸入能量為20 J的情況下， impulse bit理論上可達到760 μNs，這將會是作為太空探索立方衛星的推進系統之高潛力選擇。

Thanks to the fast development of plasma technology, various electric propulsions have been prevailing to satisfy the needs of micro-satellites with multitasks. Nowadays, the pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) has been extensively implemented in the prosperous space industries. However, the problem of carbon deposition (that hinders its discharge) is relatively unexplored and barely solved. This study proposes an innovative combination of the two electric propulsions, the vacuum cathode arc thruster (VCAT or VAT) and the PPT, respectively. The study focuses on how to capitalize on the benefits of these two thrusters and employ them in 3U or smaller CubeSats. All characteristics and parameters are categorized and quantified in order to ascertain the new association, that is, vacuum-cathode-arc-initiated pulsed plasma thruster (VAI-PPT in abbreviation). In addition, this study also conducts an optimization of the current design. It proves that VCAT can substitute the spark plug of an original PPT and minify the total bulk volume of the thruster. Moreover, Teflon (PTFE) can be regarded as a dielectric material that replaces the insulating layer, and at the same time, it can be used as a propellant to replace the graphite layer. Another important finding is that the efficiency of the thruster is highly pertinent to the capacitance of the power circuit. With several reliable diagnostic systems, the VAI-PPT can accomplish a range of specific impulse ranging 1500 ~ 3000 seconds. Under the circumstances of 20 J of power input, the impulse bit reaches 760 μNs theoretically, which would be a promising candidate of the thruster systems for CubeSats with outer space explorations in the near future.

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