Operational Envelope of an EAD Thruster Under Varying Pressure and Humidity

A wire-to-grid electroaerodynamic (EAD) thruster is experimentally investigated under varying environmental conditions. Experiments are conducted in a low-pressure chamber to assess the influence of ambient pressure and relative humidity on device performance. The key performance metrics considered are corona current, the thrust density, and the thrust-to-power ratio. Experimental results indicate that decreasing pressure negatively affects all performance indicators while reducing the ignition threshold. Additionally, both current consumption and ignition voltage exhibit a parabolic dependence on relative humidity.