Electroacoustic-Propulsion

Present and future spaceflight missions depend on the ability to produce high exhaust velocities while reducing the dependence on chemical fuel and its mass onboard a spaceflight vehicle. Oscillation of gaseous molecules during pre-ejection stages via an embedded wave driver allows for ejection at higher velocities, increasing chemical fuel efficiency. Oscillation of granulate and liquid reagents using simple harmonic motion has been shown to excite particles, forming geometric patterns when using calibrated frequencies. Methods shown to induce geometric patterns were used to attain similar formations in the reagents Lycopodium, CO2(g) and SF6(g). Oscillation of Lycopodium was used as a proven method to target, observe, and calibrate specific sound formations for experimentation with gases. SF6 was used to simulate xenon, a dense gas used in modern electronic propulsion devices. Ten-millimeter polypropylene, air-filled mass objects were used to observe acceleration, force, and velocity for a dense gas during oscillation and resulting formations. Observation of non-zero forces within gas formations during oscillation shows that additional thrust velocity can be achieved through the oscillation of propellant gas via wave drivers embedded within experimental electronic propulsion systems. Force and velocity calculations taken during oscillation of SF6 demonstrate proof of concept for future experimentation using xenon as an oscillation and ionization medium for ejection at velocities which can be used for spaceflight. Results of this experiment introduce a novel method for achieving increased velocity during space flight using sound as a performance enhancer.

当前及未来航天任务均需在提升排气速度的同时，降低对航天飞行器所载化学燃料及其自身质量的依赖。通过嵌入式波驱动器在预喷射阶段对气态分子进行振荡，可实现更高速度的喷射，进而提升化学燃料使用效率。已有研究证实，利用简谐运动对颗粒状与液态试剂进行振荡时，可激发粒子，在经过校准的频率下形成特定几何图案。本研究采用可诱导几何图案的实验方法，对石松孢子（Lycopodium）、二氧化碳气体（CO₂(g)）及六氟化硫气体（SF₆(g)）三种试剂开展实验，以获取类似的结构形态。以石松孢子的振荡作为成熟实验方法，可精准定位、观测并校准特定声波形态，用于气体相关实验。六氟化硫被用于模拟氙气——一种现代电子推进装置中使用的高密度气体。本实验采用直径10毫米的充气聚丙烯（polypropylene）质量块，用于观测振荡过程及最终结构形成阶段中，高密度气体的加速度、受力与速度情况。对振荡过程中气体结构内非零受力的观测结果表明，通过嵌入实验电子推进系统的波驱动器对推进剂气体进行振荡，可获得额外的推力速度。六氟化硫振荡过程中获取的受力与速度计算数据，验证了以氙气作为振荡与电离介质、以可用于航天的喷射速度进行喷射的未来实验的可行性。本实验结果提出了一种全新方法：通过声波作为性能增强手段，提升航天飞行过程中的飞行速度。