Influence of the position relationship between the cathode and magnetic separatrix on the discharge process of a Hall thruster

Previous studies have shown that there is an obvious coupling relationship between the installation location of the external cathode and the magnetic separatrix in the plume region of a Hall thruster.In this paper,the particle-in-cell simulation method is used to compare the thruster discharge process under the conditions of different position relationships between the cathode and the magnetic separatrix.By comparing the distribution of electron conduction,potential,plasma density and other microscopic parameters,we try to explain the formation mechanism of the discharge difference.The simulation results show that the cathode inside and outside the magnetic separatrix has a significant effect on the distribution of potential and plasma density.When the cathode is located on the outer side of the magnetic separatrix,the potential above the plume region is relatively low,and there is a strong potential gradient above the plume region.This potential gradient is more conducive to the radial diffusion of ions above the plume,which is the main reason for the strong divergence of the plume.The distribution of ion density is also consistent with the distribution of potential.When the cathode is located on the outer side of the magnetic separatrix,the radial diffusion of ions in the plume region is enhanced.Meanwhile,by comparing the results of electron conduction,it is found that the traiectories of electrons emitted from the cathode are significantly different between the inner and outer sides of the magnetic separatrix.This is mainly because the electrons are affected by the magnetic mirror effect of the magnetic tip,which makes it difficult for the electrons to move across the magnetic separatrix.This is the main reason for the difference in potential distribution.In this paper,the simulation results of macroscopic parameters under several conditions are also compared,and they are consistent with the experimental results.The cathode is located on the inner side of the magnetic separatrix,which can effectively reduce the plume divergence angle and improve the thrust.In this paper,the cathode moves from R=50 mm to R=35 mm along the radial direction,the thrust increases by 3.6 mN and the plume divergence angle decreases by 23.77%.Combined with the comparison of the ionization region and the peak ion density,it is found that the main reason for the change in thrust is the change in the radial diffusion of ions in the plume region.

Influence of neutral gas supply position on wall erosion of Hall thruster studied by particle-in-cell simulation

In this work,we have carried out a simulation study on the discharge process of Hall thrusters under the conditions of different neutral gas radial supply positions based on the particle-in-cell(PIC)and Monte Carlo collision(MCC)methods.This paper compares the two-dimensional(2D)distributions of neutral gas,plasma and wall erosion-related parameters under different neutral gas supply positions.The comparison results show that the change of the neutral gas supply position affects the radial distribution uniformity of the neutral gas and plasma in the channel.From the comparison of the density peaks,it can be found that the neutral gas density and the plasma density peak under the upper gas supply condition are relatively low,and the plasma density peak is 22.49%lower than the density peak under the middle gas supply condition.Meanwhile,as the radial position of the gas supply moves from the lower gas supply to the upper gas supply,the position of the ionization zone also gradually moves toward the anode.The results of erosion-related parameter distribution comparison show that the change of gas supply location has an obvious influence on erosion rate and erosion range.In terms of erosion rate,the wall erosion rate is relatively low under the upper gas supply condition,and the peak erosion rates of the inner and outer walls are 33.3%and 29.9%lower than those under the other two conditions.In terms of erosion range,as the gas supply position moves from the lower gas supply position to the upper gas supply position,the erosion range gradually increases from5 to 7.5 mm.

Simulation study on the influence of magnetic field in the near-anode region on anode power deposition of ATON-type Hall thruster

The highest deposition of power and temperature is always near the cusp of the ATON-type Hall thruster.This shows that when there are electrons gathering at the cusp,the distribution of heat load will be uniform,which will potentially damage the reliability.Therefore,we optimize the magnetic field near the anode.We changed the magnetic field characteristics in the near-anode region with an additional magnetic screen,and performed numerical simulation with particle-incell simulation.The simulation results show that the magnetic field of the thruster with the additional magnetic screen can alleviate the over-concentration of power deposition on the anode and reduce the power deposition in the anode by 20%,while ensuring that the overall magnetic field characteristics do not change significantly.

Simulation study of the influence of leak electrons on the discharge characteristics of a cusped field thruster

Previous studies have shown that leak electro ns in cusped field thrusters can move along the channel axis to the anode after crossing the magnetic cusp on the exit.In this paper,a onedimensional fluid model is built along two typical electron paths to study the influence of leak electrons on the discharge characteristics of a cusped field thruster,considering the electron temperature equation.It is found that the frequencies of low-frequency oscillations increase with a decrease in the proportion of leak electrons,which is related to an increase in the ion speed in the channel.Simulation results show that the position of the peak electron temperature is near the magnetic cusp on the exit and the position of the peak electron density is located downstream from the middle magnetic tip.With a decrease in the proportion of the leak electrons,the peak electron temperature and peak electron density decrease and the position of the peak electron density moves away from the exit,which is related to a decrease in the potential fall on the exit and an increase in confinement of electrons to the middle magnetic cusp.

Effect of low-frequency oscillation on performance of Hall thrusters

In this paper, a direct connection between the discharge current amplitude and the thruster performance is established by varying solely the capacitance of the filter unit of the Hall thrusters. To be precise, the variation characteristics of ion current, propellant utilization efficiency, and divergence angle of plume at different low-frequency oscillation amplitudes are measured. The findings demonstrate that in the case of the propellant in the discharge channel just meets or falls below the full ionization condition, the increase of low-frequency oscillation amplitude can significantly enhance the ionization degree of the neutral gas in the channel and increase the thrust and anode efficiency of thruster. On the contrary, the increase in the amplitude of low-frequency oscillation will lead to increase the loss of plume divergence, therefore the thrust and anode efficiency of thruster decrease.

Matching characteristics of magnetic field configuration and chamfered channel wall in a magnetically shielded Hall thruster

To date, the selection of the magnetic field line used to match the chamfered inner and outer channel walls in a magnetically shielded Hall thruster has not been quantitatively studied. Hence, an experimental study was conducted on a 1.35 k W magnetically shielded Hall thruster with a xenon propellant. Different magnetic field lines were chosen, and corresponding tangentially matched channel walls were manufactured and utilized. The results demonstrate that high performance and a qualified anti-sputtering effect cannot be achieved simultaneously. When the magnetic field lines that match the chamfered wall have a strength at the channel centerline of less than 12% of the maximum field strength, the channel wall can be adequately protected from ion sputtering. When the magnetic field lines have a strength ratio of 12%–20%, the thruster performance is high. These findings provide the first significant quantitative design reference for the match between the magnetic field line and chamfered channel wall in magnetically shielded Hall thrusters.

Hybrid–PIC simulation of sputtering product distribution in a Hall thruster

Hall thrusters have been widely used in orbit correction and the station-keeping of geostationary satellites due to their high specific impulse, long life, and high reliability. During the operating life of a Hall thruster, high-energy ions will bombard the discharge channel and cause serious erosion. As time passes, this sputtering process will change the macroscopic surface morphology of the discharge channel, especially near the exit, thus affecting the performance of the thruster.Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research on the motion of the sputtering products and erosion process of the discharge wall. To better understand the moving characteristics of sputtering products, based on the hybrid particle-in-cell（PIC） numerical method, this paper simulates the different erosion states of the thruster discharge channel in different moments and analyzes the moving process of different particles, such as B atoms and B~＋ ions. In this paper,the main conclusion is that B atoms are mainly produced on both sides of the channel exit, and B~＋ ions are mainly produced in the middle of the channel exit. The ionization rate of B atoms is approximately 1%.

Numerical study of the effect of aft-loaded magnetic field on multiple ionizations in Hall thruster

It is assumed that the shift of a strong magnetic field region with a positive gradient from exit plane to outside, namely the transit from a normal loaded magnetic field to an aft-loaded one, enhances the multiple ionization process in the magnetically shielded Hall thruster. To confirm this conjecture, a comparative study is carried out numerically with a particle-in-cell method. The simulation results prove that compared with the normal loaded magnetic field, the application of aft-loaded magnetic field enhances the multiple ionization process. This study further analyzes the ionization characteristics of the transition from low-charged ions to high-charged ions under two magnetic field conditions and the influence of the magnetic strength of aft-loaded magnetic field on the multiple ionization characteristics. The study described herein is useful for understanding the discharge characteristics of Hall thruster with an aft-loaded magnetic field.

Cathode position effects on microwave discharge cusped field thruster

The microwave discharge cusped field thruster is a novel concept of electric micropropulsion device,which operatesμN level thrust in low mass flow rate conditions,making use of a coaxial transmission line resonator.With its advantages of low thrust noise and high thrust resolution over a wide range of thrust,the thruster has emerged as a candidate thruster for the space-borne gravitational wave detection mission.The cathode effects commonly exist in many kinds of electric propulsion,and they are typically significant in micropropulsions.In order to find out the cathode position effects on a microwave discharge cusped field thruster,a thermionic cathode is mounted on a cross-slider for coupling.Under different cathode positions,the plume is analyzed by a Faraday probe and a retarding potential analyzer to analyze the performance and discharge characteristics.The results show that the magnetic mirror effect leads to significant degradation of anode current and an increase in low-energy ion ratio as the cathode moves away from the thruster exit.The electron conduction route also significantly impacts anode current efficiency,related to the cathode-exit distance and the thruster magnetic topology.

Special issue on selected papers from CEPC 2020

The development of electric propulsion has taken decades and in fact, began flight testing as early as the 1960s. However, it was initially slow to develop as an alternative to chemical propulsion systems due to the lack of available on-board electrical power for space vehicles. Since the turn of this century, the booming satellite market, and in particular for small satellites, has driven the demand for propulsion systems with high specific impulse, precisely adjustable thrust, long lifetime, and adaptable for different kinds of small vehicles.