Atmospheric electroaerodynamic thrusters with grid collectors

Abstract

Abstract The present study investigates the effects of adopting grid structures as collector electrodes on the performance of electroaerodynamic (EAD) thrusters. A systematic experimental campaign was carried out to determine how key geometric parameters of the grids—including spatial density and wire diameter—impact thruster performance. Dimensionless coefficients were introduced in order to enable meaningful comparisons with respect to existing literature. The results reveal the existence of an optimal grid configuration, leading to a significant enhancement in performance compared to the state of the art for a single stage unit, such as in thrust density, achieving a maximum of $$7.03 \ \mathrm {N/m^2}$$ at $$20 \ \textrm{kV}$$ of applied voltage, and thrust-to-weight ratio, reaching a maximum value of 9.51, all achieved without compromising the propulsive efficiency typical of traditional EAD thrusters.