Continuous operation test of quasi-steady MPD thruster with a ring coil

A new quasi-steady MPD thruster head with a ring coil was developed. Two continuous operation tests were carried out in order to obtain the thermal characteristics of the head in the case with an applied external magnetic field and in the case without it. It is found that the total input heat to the head is not changed so much by applying an external magnetic field to a discharge chamber, but the distribution of the input heat to the anode is changed. The reliability of the MPD thruster was also improved by applying an external magnetic field. 7 references.