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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
The Design And Development Of A Miniature Gridded Ecr Ion Thruster, Nicholas Nuzzo
The Design And Development Of A Miniature Gridded Ecr Ion Thruster, Nicholas Nuzzo
Masters Theses
Plasma propulsion, a specific subset of electric propulsion (EP), is a class of space propulsion that produces plasma by excitation of a propellant at or above its ionization energy. This ionized propellant is then accelerated by an externally applied field (magnetic and/or electric) and produces thrust. There is an increasing need for miniaturization in spacecraft technology and the use of plasma EP devices in space propulsion. These systems provide an advantage over traditional chemical propulsion solutions which are less efficient and have more mass. Miniaturization of EP devices allows missions to have more space and mass available for their payloads …
Channeling Influence On Noise And Aerodynamic Performance Of Naca 0012 Airfoil As A Possible Solution Of Wind Turbines Noise, Hussein Khudhayer Mohammad
Channeling Influence On Noise And Aerodynamic Performance Of Naca 0012 Airfoil As A Possible Solution Of Wind Turbines Noise, Hussein Khudhayer Mohammad
Dissertations
This work numerically and experimentally investigates the effect of using channels inside airfoils on the noise level as a possible resolution for aerodynamic noise generated by wind turbines. The work also investigates aerodynamic performance and turbulence around the employed airfoils. The results reveal that some of the samples show some improvement in reducing the aerodynamic noise. The reduction of the aerodynamic noise is explained as the trailing edge blowing injection that reduces the wake momentum deficit of the blade and reduces the pressure fluctuation which is responsible for noise production. Particularly, the angles of channel inclination with respect to the …
Design, Optimization, And Construction Of Flexure, Optical, Damping, And Leveling Systems For Electric Propulsion Thrust Stand, Logan Hefferan
Design, Optimization, And Construction Of Flexure, Optical, Damping, And Leveling Systems For Electric Propulsion Thrust Stand, Logan Hefferan
Honors Theses
An Thrust Stand is a device that uses the basic principles of torsion and displacement to experimentally measure and calculate the thrust generated by an Electric Propulsion (EP) Thruster. Western Michigan University is host to three organizations that work with electric propulsion thrusters currently without a way of obtaining direct experimental thrust data. For this Senior Design Project, the flexure, optical sensing, damping and leveling systems for a thrust stand originally designed by Hannah Watts in her WMU Honors Thesis: Design of A Thrust Stand for Electric Propulsion [13] will be constructed. The four subsystems will be redesigned, optimized, and …
Dynamic Maneuvers For Satellite On-Orbit Servicing Utilizing Novel Continuum Robotics: Development & Experimentation, Nathan Dalton
Dynamic Maneuvers For Satellite On-Orbit Servicing Utilizing Novel Continuum Robotics: Development & Experimentation, Nathan Dalton
Masters Theses
Robotic on-orbit servicing is a developing technology that seeks to increase the longevity and repairability of faulty or aging resident space objects. In this research, the development of a flexible continuum manipulator for a small satellite system that performs low-complexity on-orbit servicing or debris removal is presented. Derivations of manipulator kinematics are described in detail, a non-linear control scheme has been developed, and the accuracy and servicing applications for the prototype are evaluated and discussed. The manipulator has been tested on an air-bearing dynamics simulator, and the results are extensively analyzed. System recommendations and future work suggestions are presented.
Design And Optimization Of An Electron Cyclotron Resonance Thruster, Austen Thomas
Design And Optimization Of An Electron Cyclotron Resonance Thruster, Austen Thomas
Masters Theses
Presented in this work is the process in the design and optimization of a coaxial electron cyclotron resonance thruster. Electron cyclotron resonance thrusters are novel microwave-based thrusters which possess select technological advantages over mature electric propulsion concepts such as being electrodeless and only requiring a single power source. The thruster constructed in this work is a coaxial configuration and is termed the Western electron cyclotron resonance thruster. Thruster dimensions were optimized based on past experimentation completed with ECR thrusters. In an attempt to enhance the microwave plasma coupling of the coaxial thruster design three different antenna configurations were considered: a …