2D hybrid-PIC simulation of the two and three-grid system of ion thruster

A 2D hybrid-PIC simulation model is proposed to investigate the beam extraction phenomena of the ion thruster. In which the electrons of the plasma sheath upstream the accelerator grid are assumed as particles while the downstream are fluid for improving the calculation efficiency. The ion transparency, plasma sheath formation, ion beam extraction characteristic of a two- and three-grid system have been compared in detail in this paper. From the comparison of the appearing time of the under-perveance phenomena in the two- and three-grid system, it illustrated that the two grid system has the wider operation range of the plasma densities than the three-grid one.

Robust adaptive control for uncertain systems with discrete and distributed delays

In this paper, a robust adaptive control scheme is proposed for the stabilization of uncertain linear systems with discrete and distributed delays and bounded perturbations. The uncertainty is assumed to be an unknown continuous function with norm-bounded restriction. The perturbation is sector-bounded. Combining with the liner matrix inequality method, neural networks and adaptive control, the control scheme ensures the exponential stability of the closed-loop system for any admissible uncertainty.

Wide-range characteristics of beam perveance and saddle point potential of LIPS-200 ion thruster

Both the long-life and multi-mode versions of LIPS-200 ion thruster are under investigation in LIP(Lanzhou Institute of Physics).To confirm the feasible ranges of the beam current and accel(abbreviation for accelaration)grid potential to apply to the thruster,the wide-range beam perveance(the state of beam focus)and saddle point potential(the lowest potential along beamlet centerline)characteristics of LIPS-200 are studied with a test-verified PIC-MCC(Particle in Cell-Monte Carlo Collisions)model.These characteristics are investigated with both the initial and the eroded states of the accel grid aperture diameter.The results show that the feasible ranges of these parameters with respect to perveance/crossover(overfocused)limit extend as the operating time accumulates,while the feasible range of accel grid potential narrows due to a reduced EBSF(electron backstreaming failure)margin.The feasible ranges determined by the initial condition are:(i)the beam current up to 0.981 A,and(ii)the accel grid potential up to−85 V.A 23%enlargement of the aperture diameter would bring up to 48 V of EBSF margin loss.

Numerical study of low-frequency discharge oscillations in a 5kW Hall thruster

A two-dimensional particle-in-cell plasma model is built in the R-Z plane to investigate the low- frequency plasma oscillations in the discharge channel of a 5 kW LHT-140 Hall thruster. In addition to the elastic, excitation, and ionization collisions between neutral atoms and electrons, the Coulomb collisions between electrons and electrons and between electrons and ions are analyzed. The sheath characteristic distortion is also corrected. Simulation results indicate the capability of the built model to reproduce the low-frequency oscillation with high accuracy. The oscillations of the discharge current and ion density produced by the model are consistent with the existing conclusions. The model predicts a frequency that is consistent with that calculated by the zero-dimensional theoretical model.