Parameters Distribution Along the Channel Axis in the Scaling Designed Stationary Plasma Thruster

The study of the parameters＇ distribution along the channel axis in a stationary plasma thruster（SPT） helps One to understand the physical characteristics of the SPT＇s operation. In this paper, the axial distribution of the desired SPT parameters are predicted by combining the improved scaling theory and a one-dimensional hybrid model. The simulation indicates that the SPT parameters＇ distribution along the channel axis changes with scaling index variable ~. If ~ is set properly, the similarity of the parameters~ axial distribution between the model and a desired thruster can be ensured. In addition, the operation characteristics of the desired thruster, such as the ionization and acceleration processes, are also similar to those of the model. When ζ is set, the improved SPT scaling theory and the one-dimensional hybrid model can be used to predict the axial distribution of the desired SPT parameters with the same propellant （such as Xe）.

Reconstruction of Ionization Density Distribution in Hall Thruster Channel from Ion Energy Spectrum of Plasma Jet

Propellant ionization in the Hall thruster discharge channel is a significant process and has strong influence on the thruster＇s efficiency. In this work, the functional relation has been established between the ionization density distribution and the function of the ion energy distribution through the basic equations governing the ion flow in the Hall thruster channel and the method achieved for reconstructing the ionization density distribution inside the channel by ordinary plasma diagnosis of the potential distribution and ion energy spectrum of the plasma jet. The ionization density distributions of single and double charged ions in an ATON-thruster channel have been reconstructed according to the experimental data of the potential distribution along the axis of the channel and the ion energy spectrum of the plasma jet. The agreement between the calculation and experimental results of the percentage of double charged ions proves the validity of our method achieved in this work.

Correlation Method of Average Plasma Velocity Measurement in Hall-Effect Thrusters

A new method to measure the average plasma velocity in a Hall-effect thruster is presented. The method is brought forward in virtue of the characteristics of low frequency oscillation induced by the propellant ionization in the channel and the oriented movement feature of the plasma density out of the channel. The method, equivalent to the correlation method generally used in the signal processing field, provides a solution to the problem of specific impulse measurement on a timescale of hundreds of microseconds and makes the time evolution of average plasma velocity clear. The comparison between the measured value and the calibrated value shows that the relative error is about 3%.

Effect of vacuum backpressure on discharge characteristics of hollow cathode

A hollow cathode is the electronic source and neutralizer of the Hall thruster and an ion thruster.When the orbit of an all-electric propulsion satellite changes from 100 km to 36 000 km, the backpressure changes by two to three orders of magnitude. In this paper, the influence of the backpressure on the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode has been studied experimentally in the so-called diode configuration. With the increase in the backpressure, the anode voltage decreases gradually, and the amplitude of the current oscillation decreases significantly. Additionally, the plasma is relatively stable, the most probable ion energy and the width of the ion energy distribution reduces, and the electron distribution function inclines toward the Maxwell distribution under high backpressure. The analysis results show that the backpressure affects the gas ionization and the ionic acoustic turbulence, which also affects the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode.

Effect of the Hollow Cathode Heat Power on the Performance of an Hall-Effect Thruster

Effect of the hollow cathode heat power on the performance of a Hall-effect thruster is investigated. The variations in the Hall-effect thruster＇s performance （thrust, specific impulse and anode efficiency） with the hollow cathode heat power was obtained from the analysis of the experimental data. Through an analysis on the coupling relationship between the electrons emitted from the hollow cathode and the environmental plasma, it was found that the heat power would affect the electron emission of the emitter and the space potential of the coupling zone, which would lead to a change in the effective discharge voltage. The experimental data agree well with the results of calculation which can be used to explain the experimental phenomena.

Effect of Magnetic Mirror on the Asymmetry of the Radial Profile of Near-Wall Conductivity in Hall Thrusters

Considering the actual magnetic field configuration in a Hall thruster, the effect of magnetic mirror on the radial profile of near-wall conductivity （NWC） is studied in this paper. The plasma electron dynamic process is described by the test particle method. The Monte Carlo scheme is used to solve this model. The radial profile of electron mobility is obtained and the role of magnetic mirror in NWC is analysed both theoretically and numerically. The numerical results show that the electron mobility peak due to NWC is inversely proportional to the magnetic mirror ratio and the asymmetry of electron mobility along the radial direction gets greater when the magnetic mirror is considered. This effect indicates that apart from the disparity in the magnetic field strength, the difference in the magnetic mirror ratio near the inner and outer walls would actually augment the asymmetry of the radial profile of NWC in Hall thrusters.

Experimental and numerical investigation of a Hall thruster with a chamfered channel wall

A discharge channel with a chamfered wall not only has application in the design of modern Hall thrusters, but also exists where the channel wall is eroded, and so is a common status for these units. In this paper, the laws and mechanisms that govern the effect of the chamfered wall on the performance of a Hall thruster are investigated. By applying both experimental measurement and particle-in-cell simulation, it is determined that there is a moderate chamfer angle that can further improve the optimal performance obtained with a straight channel. This is because the chamfering of the wall near the channel exit can enhance ion acceleration and effectively reduce ion recombination on the wall, which is favorable to the promotion of the thrust and efficiency. However, the chamfer angle should not be too large; otherwise, both the density of the propellant gas and the distribution of the plasma potential in the channel are influenced, which is undesirable for efficient propellant utilization and beam concentration. Therefore, it is suggested that the chamfer shape of the channel wall is an important factor that must be carefully considered in the design of Hall thrusters.

Particle-in-cell simulation for effect of anode temperature on discharge characteristics of a Hall effect thruster

Propellant gas flow has an important impact on the ionization and acceleration process of Hall effect thrusters （HETs）. In this paper, a particle-in-cell numerical method is used to study the effect of the anode temperature, i.e., the flow speed of the propellant gas, on the discharge characteristics of a HET. The simulation results show that, no matter the magnitude of the discharge voltage, the calculated variation trends of performance parameters with the anode temperature are in good agreement with the experimental ones presented in the literature. Further mechanism analysis indicates that the magnitude of the electron temperature is responsible for the two opposing variation laws found under different discharge voltages. When the discharge voltage is low, the electron temperature is low, and so is the intensity of the propellant ionization; the variation of the thruster performance with the anode temperature is thereby determined by the variation of the neutral density that affects the propellant utilization efficiency. When the discharge voltage is high, the electron temperature is large enough to guarantee a high degree of the propellant utilization no matter the magnitude of the anode temperature. The change of the thruster performance with the anode temperature is thus dominated by the change of the electron temperature and consequently the electron-neutral collisions as well as the electron cross-field mobility that affect the current utilization efficiency.

Study on Integral Expression in Measurement of Average Ion Velocity by Multi-Grid Probe

In order to improve the interference rejection performance in the measurement of average ion velocity by multi-grid probe, an integral expression is proposed. The integral expression, differing from other expressions for probe measurement, avoids the differential operation on the I-V characteristics of multi-grid probe measurement; and by this method, the ion average velocity can be figured out directly by the I-V characteristics of multi-grid probe measurement.

Near-wall conductivity effect under a space-charge-saturated sheath in the Hall thruster

In this paper, we adopt the modified Morozov secondary electron emission model to investigate the influence of the characteristic of a space-charge-saturated sheath near the insulated wall of the Hall thruster on the near-wall conductivity, by the method of two-dimensional （2D） particle simulation （2Dq-3V）. The results show that due to the sharp increase of collision frequency between the electrons and the wall under the space-charge-saturated sheath, the near-wall transport current under this sheath is remarkably higher than that under a classical sheath, and equals the near-wall transport current under a spatially oscillating sheath in order of magnitude. However, the transport currents under a space-charge-saturated sheath and a spatially oscillating sheath are different in mechanism, causing different current density distributions under the above two sheaths, and a great influence of channel width on the near-wall transport current under a space-charge-saturated sheath.

Early experimental investigation of the C12A7 hollow cathode fed on iodine

To fully realize the superiority of the iodine electric propulsion system in streamlining the size and reducing the operating costs, iodine hollow cathode technology must be developed. Considering the corrosiveness of iodine and the possible impurity of the working propellant, the C12A7 hollow cathode with promising chemical ability was developed and tested. The C12A7 hollow cathode with a nominal current of 1–4 A was successfully ignited with iodine from the reservoir outside the vacuum chamber. It was operated at 1 A of anode current with a 1.2 mg s^(-1) iodine mass flow rate.Despite involuntary extinguishment, the C12A7 hollow cathode could be restarted repeatedly with a single operation time of up to 12 min and a total duration of 30 min. The unexpected fluctuation of iodine flow may be the reason for the short operation time. Experimental results and microscopical observation of the electride emitter show the compatibility of the iodine and electride emitter. For the development and demonstration of future single-iodine electric propulsion of Hall thrusters, the iodine storage and supply system with precise control and regulation may be the critical technology.

Magnet stage optimization of 5 kW multi-cusped field thruster

The multi-cusped field thruster is a unique electric thruster device,which has many advantages such as long lifetime,large-range thrust throttling ability,high thrust density,and low mass.The thruster employs several alternating polarity permanent magnets to create a periodic magnetic field with several cusps.Previous studies have indicated that the basic ionization and acceleration processes are directly related to the electron motion behavior,which mainly depends on the magnetic field characteristics.The magnet number and magnet stage length are two key magnetic field parameters that have important effects on the thruster performances.In this paper,both the magnet number and magnet stage length parameters are studied for the optimization of a 5 k W multi-cusped field thruster.The results indicate that the three-stage thruster has a better electron confinement than the two-stage thruster.It has lower ion energy loss at the wall,and shows a higher ionization rate.Therefore,the three-stage magnetic field is a superior magnetic field configuration.Besides,the three-stage magnetic field simulation results indicate that an optimal accelerating electric field distribution and ionization region distribution could be obtained when the magnet length ratio is 78:25:20.

Diagnostic and modelling investigation on the ion acceleration and plasma throttling effects in a dualemitter hollow cathode micro-thruster

Hollow cathode discharges are widely used as neutralizers for the electric propulsion systems and recently developed into micro-thrusters for the small satellites.In this work,a dualemitter hollow cathode thruster is developed,which can be operated in two different modes—the neutralizer mode and the micro-thruster mode.For characterizing this kind of new device,the Langmuir probe,Faraday probe,and retarding potential analyzer are used to determine the electron temperature,electron density,ion flux,and ion energy distribution function.The operating parameters,including the thrust,and specific impulse,are also measured.A two-dimensional self-consistent extended fluid model is employed to calculate the spatial distribution of plasma parameters and the fluid field of electrons in the region around the emitters.By comparing the diagnostic and modelling results,it is found that the change in the electric field and ionization zone is the essential reason for the different performances of the device in the neutralizer and micro-thruster modes.Variation in the electric field leads to an ion acceleration effect in the micro-thruster mode;moving of the ionization zone raises the plasma pressure in the orifice region of the hollow cathode,and thus leads to enhanced plasma throttling and gas expanding effects.By analyzing the above mechanisms,the possible methods for improving this kind of hollow cathode micro-thruster are discussed.

An integrative mathematical model of microwave ion thruster for mHz-frequency thrust noise analysis

Many high-precision space missions need thrusters to produce thrust with low noise to compensate for disturbances and ensure satellite platform stability. Microwave ion thruster is characterized with a wide thrust range and potential for these missions. A cost-effective and accurate mathematical model is crucial for mHz-frequency thrust noise analysis and feedback controller design. The Particle-In-Cell(PIC) and global models are two common simulation tools. The PIC model is characterized with high accuracy but huge computation cost, which is difficult to analyze long-time performance characteristics. Now, the global model is only used for the discharge chamber with low accuracy and cannot reflect ion extraction properties. In this paper, an integrative mathematical model is built for a 1-cm microwave ion thruster and can reflect ion beamlet divergence and impingement on the Accelerator Grid(AG). Simulation results show good agreement with experiments at 0.06 sccm. However, the model demonstrates worse consistency with experiments when the flux increases to 0.1 sccm, which may be because the influence of neutral gas on the Electron Cyclotron Resonance(ECR) is not considered in the model. A long-time(1000 s) simulation is conducted with this model under 35 μN. It takes 3 hrs, and the thrust noise reaches 1 μN/Hz^(0.5) at 1 mHz.