A parametric study of electrodes geometries for atmospheric electrohydrodynamic propulsion

This work presents a parametric analysis of corona thrusters performance as function of electrodes geometry, focusing on collector electrodes. A set of airfoil-shaped collectors with fixed chord and different profiles is tested on a propulsion system at bench. The setup consists in a parallel array of thruster units with adjustable spacing. The downstream velocity field is measured and used to determine thrust by momentum balance. Thrust-to-power ratio and thrust density are calculated as performance parameters to compare the different geometries. Optimal configurations are found within the examined parameter space, evidencing the importance of further systematic studies about the electrodes geometries