Novel Particle Approaches for Modeling Electrospray Propulsion Concepts

CubeSats and small satellites have showcased extreme potential in expanding telecommunications to unprecedented scales as well as providing more accessible vehicles for scientific exploration in space. Important strides have been taken towards increasing the deployment of these devices by major player in the aerospace sector, specially with the proposal of satellite constellations, and its promise of truly revolutionizing our capabilities in space. However many challenges remain in the maturing of these technologies, particularly in the integration of key systems within the size constrains presented by these spacecraft. One of the key elements that need to be further investigated are the in-Space propulsion technologies, particularly electric space propulsion (EP). Electric propulsion presents many benefits when compared to chemical propulsion systems, such as high specific impulse, which results in reduce propellant mass, and therefore higher mission flexibility and duration, all important capabilities for the small satellites spacecrafts. A particularly interesting concept of EP is electrospray propulsion, which provides thrust by accelerating charged droplets, cluster of molecules or individual ions from a conductive fluid in an electrostatic field. These charged particles which are emitted from the spacecraft, aside from generating thrust, can also interact with spacecraft components due to its electric charge, negatively affecting the integrity of these components and of the spacecraft. Nonetheless, the mechanisms in which these phenomena take place are still poorly understood. Therefore, this project proposes to employ novel particle approaches in order to better understand plume-spacecraft interactions and model electrospray propulsion concepts. Specifically, the project focuses on performing molecular dynamic simulations (MD) of ionic liquid electrospray, and applying those results to computational approaches such as particle-in-cell and kinetic Monte Carlo to analyze the behavior of such systems in length scales of microns and cm, while maintaining the atomic characteristics extracted from MD and comparing these results to experimental data. This analysis will ultimately enable the modeling of ionic liquids-spacecraft surface material effects, such as sputtering and spacecraft charging, in order to better understand the impact of these EP propulsion concepts on the spacecraft and enhance the predicative capabilities provided by computer simulations when developing these devices here on earth. Consequently the techniques employed can be further extended to the analysis and modeling of other EP operational architectures. Therefore, the proposed work has the potential of significantly contributing to the development of electrospray systems and the integration of this technology with CubeSats and small satellites.

This analysis will ultimately enable the modeling of ionic liquids-spacecraft surface material effects, such as sputtering and spacecraft charging, in order to better understand the impact of these electric propulsion concepts on the spacecraft and enhance the predicative capabilities provided by computer simulations when developing these devices here on earth.

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