Engineers at MIPT have developed a power supply for "electrospray" type electric rocket engines, capable of generating pulsed high voltage up to 6500 V. The work is being carried out as part of R&D with the support of the NTI Fund.
A key feature of the device is the independent regulation of positive and negative voltage due to two controlled DC sources. This allows generating different amplitude pulses with precise adjustment of frequency, amplitude, and duty cycle parameters.
The system includes a high-speed current detector with optical communication. It detects overload and disconnects the load in microseconds, preventing breakdown and damage to the engine's electrode system.
The device output can be grounded, which simplifies integration into experimental setups.
Unlike outdated circuits based on vacuum tubes, the new architecture uses semiconductor switches and features a more compact design and reduced energy consumption. At the same time, high controllability and resistance to overloads are maintained.
The development can be used in electric rocket engines, as well as in mass spectrometry, plasma-chemical reactors, and other experimental physics tasks.