Study of beam divergence and thrust vector eccentricity characteristics of the Hall thruster based on dual Faraday probe array planes and its applications

The accurate knowledge of the thrust vector eccentricity and beam divergence characteristics of Hall thrusters are of significant engineering value for the beneficial integration and successful application of Hall thrusters on spacecraft.For the characteristics of the plume bipolar diffusion due to the annular discharge channel of the Hall thruster,a Gaussian-fitted method for thrust vector deviation angle and beam divergence of Hall thrusters based on dual Faraday probe array planes was proposed in respect of the Hall thruster beam characteristics.The results show that the ratios of the deviation between the maximum and minimum values of the beam divergence angle and the thrust vector eccentricity angle using a Gaussian fit to the optimized Faraday probe dual plane to the mean value are 1.4%and 11.5%,respectively.The optimized thrust vector eccentricity angle obtained has been substantially improved,by approximately 20%.The beam divergence angle calculated using a Gaussian fitting to the optimized Faraday probe dual plane is approximately identical to the non-optimized one.The beam divergence and thrust vector eccentricity angles for different anode mass flow rates were obtained by averaging the beam divergence and thrust vector eccentricity angles calculated by the dual-plane,Gaussian-fitted ion current density method for different cross-sections.The study not only allows for an immediate and effective tool for determining the design of thrust vector adjustment mechanisms of spacecraft with different power Hall thrusters but also for characterizing the 3D spatial distribution of the Hall thruster plume.

The far-field plasma characteristics of LHT40 low-power Hall thruster for commercial aerospace applications

To achieve a better insight into the far-field plasma spatial distribution and evolution characteristics of the 300 W class low-power Hall thruster(LHT)for commercial aerospace applications,a dedicated and integrated plasma diagnostic system composed of seventeen Faraday cups(FC)and two triple Langmuir probes(TLP)is established to investigate the timeaveraged in situ spatial distribution characteristics of far-field ions and electrons.The ion current density(ICD),plasma potential,plasma density,and electron temperature at 1000 mm downstream of 300 W class LHT for commercial aerospace applications in the azimuthal angle range of-90°to 90°were investigated under the conditions of different anode mass flow rates and discharge voltages.The results demonstrated that ICD,beam divergence angle,and mass utilization efficiency increased with increasing anode mass rate.The double-wings phenomenon was observed in the spatial distribution of ICD at large angles from the thruster axis,which is attributed to charge exchange collisions at increasing vacuum backpressure.The plasma electron temperature,electron density,and plasma potential parameters derived from the TLP decreased rapidly in the angle range from 0°to 30°and did not exhibit significant variations above 30°,which was also in good agreement with the results of the measured divergence angle of the FC.The discrepancy of average ion speed was calculated.The maximum error is better than 31.5%which checks the consistency between the TLP’s results and that of FC to some extent.

Study on the influence of the discharge voltage on the ignition process of Hall thrusters

A high-speed charge-coupled device camera was used to capture images of the plume and acceleration channel of a Hall effect thruster during ignition at different discharge voltages.To better understand the influence of changes in the discharge voltage on the plasma parameters during thruster ignition,a particle-in-cell numerical model was used to calculate the distribution characteristics of the ion density and electric potential at different ignition moments under different discharge voltages.The results show that when the discharge voltage is high,the ion densities in the plume and acceleration channel are significantly higher at the initial phase of thruster ignition;with the gradual strengthening of the ignition process,the propellant avalanche ionization during thruster ignition occurs earlier and the pulse current peak increases.The main reason for these phenomena is that the change in the discharge voltage results in different energy acquisitions of the emitted electrons entering the thruster channel.