Resistojet rocket
A
resistojet can be thought of as a "space heater attached to a water
hose". Of course, it's much more sophisticated than that! But it is a
good analogy, because it emphasizes the two characteristic parts of the
system: A source of
heat produced by
electricity through some sort of a
resistor, and a source of (typically non-reactive)
fluid.
Resistojets have been flown in space, and do well in situations where
energy is much more plentiful than mass, and where propulsion efficiency
needs to be reasonably high but low-thrust is acceptable.
see also: Spacecraft propulsion