propulsione elettrica

Laboratorio di Propulsione Elettrica

Gruppo di Ricerca
Fabrizio Paganucci
Giulia Becatti
Manuel M. Saravia
Guido Giammarinaro
Carla Guidi
Aldo Micciani
Nicola Orsini
Iacopo Regoli
Antonio P. Martignani
Collaborazioni esterne
Dip. Chimica e Chimica Industriale – Università di Pisa
Dip. Fisica – Università di Pisa
CISUP – Università di Pisa
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa
European Space Agency
Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
Consorzio RFX, Padova.
Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi – CNR, Bari
Institute of Space Systems – University of Stuttgart, Germany
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, US
Aerospazio Tecnologie SRL, Siena
Sitael SpA, Pisa
Nadir Srl, Venezia

Description

The Electric Propulsion Laboratory (EPL) is dedicated to research and didactical activities on electric propulsion systems for space applications. EPL combines design and modelling with experimental activities in vacuum facilities, mainly on Hall thrusters, MPD thrusters, and cathodes.

Test Facilities

EPL-VF1. Fiberglass cylindrical chamber (Ø 800 mm, length 1000 mm, extendable to 1500 mm), equipped with Balzers DIFF500 diffusive pump (with a nominal pumping speed of 11000 l/S). Designed for low-power electric thrusters, hollow cathodes, and green propellant devices. Low electromagnetic interference environment.

EPL-VF2. Stainless-steel chamber (Ø 400 mm, length 1000 mm) with ISO-standard flanges, electrical feedthroughs, and thermocouples. Pumping system with Agilent DS602 primary pump and Agilent VHS-250 diffusion pump. Pressure monitoring via Pirani and wide-range gauges. Mobile aluminum-frame structure.

EPL-VF3. The chamber features an AISI 304 stainless steel vessel with internal dimensions of 1 m in diameter and 2 m in length. The vacuum system is based on turbomolecular pumping, providing a nominal pumping speed of 6000 l/s, with the option to upgrade up to 28,000 l/s through the integration of cryopumps. A future upgrade including a water-cooled beam dump is also foreseen to support high-power EP testing.

EPL-VF4. Glass chamber (Ø 125 mm, height 260 mm). Edwards T-Station T300 with XDD1 oil-free diaphragm pump and nEXT T300 turbomolecular pump (down to 10⁻⁵ mbar). Wide-range pressure gauge. Used for thermal testing, thermionic emission, and outgassing experiments.

EPL-VF-EDU. Pyrex vacuum chamber, (Ø 100 mm, height 5000 mm), equipped with a rotary pump. The chamber is particularly suitable to perform plasma discharges for educational purposes.

epl-fig-1
Figure 1: EPL-VF1 (top left), EPL-VF2 (top right), EPL-VF3 (bottom left), EPL-VF4 (bottom right).

 

 

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Figure 2: EPL-VF-EDU during student activities carried out during the Electric Propulsion 2 course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main research activities and projects

  • FISA-2024-00353, BRIGHT – Building Route to an Innovative Generation of Hall Thrusters, 2026 – ongoing.
  • HORIZON.3.1 Europe Research Programme, Project: 101186520 – BANTER, Bimodal Ammonia Nuclear Thermal and Electric Rocket, 2025 – ongoing.
  • ESA ARTES 4.0 Contract No. 4000148215/25/UK/ND, Advanced Manufacturing for Electric Propulsion Components of Low Earth Orbit Satcoms (IMPACT) – 2025 – ongoing.
  • FISA-2022-00887, ARIA – Airbreathing Rocket for Innovative Applications - Sub-contract, 2025 – ongoing.
  • SPACE IT UP! – contratto ASI 2024-5-E.0 – CUP I53D24000060005, 2024 – ongoing.
  • ESA Contract No. 4000144009/24/NL/RK/gf, Risk mitigation on adoption of iodine cathodes for electric propulsion, 2024 – ongoing.
  • HORIZON Europe Research Programme, Project: 101134963 – iFACT-MP, iodine Fed Advanced Cusp field Thruster for Mid-Power, 2024 – ongoing.
  • ESA TDE Contract No. 4000142145/23/NL/RK, Very High Thrust Density Thruster for Space Transportation, 2023 – ongoing.
  • PRIN 2022, Progetto: 2022EWRCRR, Multi-propellant diamond based hollow cathodes for space and industrial applications, 2023 – ongoing.
  • HORIZON-CL4-2022-SPACE-01, Project: 101082532 – CHEOPS-VHP-BB, 2023 – ongoing.
  • ESA TDE Contract No. 4000138495/22/NL/GLC, Development of a Very Long-Life Cathode for Scientific Missions (VLLC), 2022 – ongoing.
  • ESA TDE Contract No. 4000133374/20/NL/RA, High-Power Hall Thruster Prototype with Coaxial Channels (TANDEM), 2021 – ongoing.

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