Investigating the neutralizer cathode location in the SPT type Hall Effect thruster
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Space Thrusters Research Institute
2
Professor assistant,, Iranian Space Research Center, Space Thrusters Institute
3
Space Thrusters Research Institute, Iranian Space Research Center, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
The position of the cathode concerning the magnetic field map inside the discharge channel affects the performance and lifetime of the Hall effect thruster. The neutralizer cathode has two important functions in the Hall effect thruster. Almost %18 cathode electrons enter the discharge channel of the Hall thruster and provide the necessary electrons for ionization. The rest of the electrons neutralize the ions coming out from the thruster and the spacecraft remains neutral regarding electric charge. In this article, the map of the magnetic field and separatrix lines inside the thruster are simulated with FEMM software. According to the position of the magnetic field separatrix lines, the neutralizer cathode is placed in three different positions, and the Hall effect thruster performance is simulated using the XOOPIC code and the PIC-MCC method. Shifting the position of the cathode relative to the magnetic field lines and the field separatrix line, significant changes were observed in the parameters of the cathode voltage, the thrust force, and the thruster's specific impact, which improves the thruster's performance. The results of this research show that the performance parameters of the thruster are optimized due to increasing the lifetime of the cathode when the cathode is placed between the first and second separatrix lines.
Keywords
Subjects
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[14] F. Taccogna, S. Longo, M. Capitelli, and R. Schneider, "Plasma flow in a Hall thruster," Physics of plasmas, vol. 12, no. 4, 2005.
[15] T. Lafleur and P. Chabert, "The role of instability-enhanced friction on ‘anomalous’ electron and ion transport in Hall-effect thrusters," Plasma Sources Science and Technology, vol. 27, no. 1, p. 015003, 2017.
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[17] M. Kiantaj, M. Farhid, M. M. Shafie, and M. R. Morad, "Simulation of Hollow Cathode in the Hall Thruster by Particle in Cell (PIC) Method," 2023.
[18] I. Musso et al., "2D OOPIC simulations of the helicon double layer," in 30th International Electric Propulsion Meeting, Florence, Italy-September, 2007, pp. 17-20.
[19] K. Kozubskii et al., "Stationary plasma thrusters operate in space," Plasma Physics Reports, vol. 29, pp. 251-266, 2003.
[2] N. Turan, O. Korkmaz, and M. Celik, "Investigation of the effect of hollow cathode neutralizer location on hall effect thruster efficiency," in 2015 7th International Conference on Recent Advances in Space Technologies (RAST), 2015, pp. 599-604: IEEE.
[3] L. Wei et al., "Simulation of plasma dynamics during discharge ignition in Hall thruster," The European Physical Journal D, vol. 73, pp. 1-8, 2019.
[4] N. Turan, U. Kokal, M. Celik, and H. Kurt, "Experimental study of the effects of the cathode position and the electrical circuit configuration on the operation of HK40 Hall thruster and BUSTLab hollow cathode," in 52nd AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference, 2016, p. 4834.
[5] R. R. Hofer, L. K. Johnson, D. M. Goebel, and R. E. Wirz, "Effects of internally mounted cathodes on Hall thruster plume properties," IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 2004-2014, 2008.
[6] D. Tilley, K. de Grys, and R. Myers, "Hall thruster-cathode coupling," in 35th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, 1999, p. 2865.
[7] G. Lehner, Electromagnetic field theory for engineers and physicists. Springer Science & Business Media, 2010.
[8] R. BECHTEL, "A hollow cathode neutralizer for a 30-cm diameter bombardment thruster," in 10th Electric Propulsion Conference, 1973, p. 1052.
[9] K. Nishiyama, S. Hosoda, H. Kuninaka, and Y. Toyoda, "Operational Characteristics of a Microwave Discharge Neutralizer for the ECR Ion Thruster µ20," in 31st International Electric Propulsion Conference, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 2009.
[10] R. R. Hofer, A. D. Gallimore, and D. Jacobson, "Recent results from internal and very-near-field plasma diagnostics of a high specific impulse Hall thruster," in 28th International Electric Propulsion Conference, 2003, no. NASA/CR-2003-212604.
[11] K. K. Jameson, D. M. Goebel, R. R. Hofer, and R. M. Watkins, "Cathode coupling in Hall thrusters," in 30th International Electric Propulsion Conference, 2007, pp. 2007-278: Citeseer.
[12] J. D. Sommerville and L. B. King, "Hall-effect thruster--cathode coupling, part I: efficiency improvements from an extended outer pole," Journal of Propulsion and Power, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 744-753, 2011.
[13] D. Yongjie, Y. Daren, and W. Zhiwen, "Parameters distribution along the channel axis in the scaling designed stationary plasma thruster," Plasma Science and Technology, vol. 8, no. 6, p. 716, 2006.
[14] F. Taccogna, S. Longo, M. Capitelli, and R. Schneider, "Plasma flow in a Hall thruster," Physics of plasmas, vol. 12, no. 4, 2005.
[15] T. Lafleur and P. Chabert, "The role of instability-enhanced friction on ‘anomalous’ electron and ion transport in Hall-effect thrusters," Plasma Sources Science and Technology, vol. 27, no. 1, p. 015003, 2017.
[16] H. Usui, J. P. Verboncoeur, and C. K. Birdsall, "Development of 1D object-oriented particle-in-cell code (1d-XOOPIC)," IEICE transactions on electronics, vol. 83, no. 6, pp. 989-992, 2000.
[17] M. Kiantaj, M. Farhid, M. M. Shafie, and M. R. Morad, "Simulation of Hollow Cathode in the Hall Thruster by Particle in Cell (PIC) Method," 2023.
[18] I. Musso et al., "2D OOPIC simulations of the helicon double layer," in 30th International Electric Propulsion Meeting, Florence, Italy-September, 2007, pp. 17-20.
[19] K. Kozubskii et al., "Stationary plasma thrusters operate in space," Plasma Physics Reports, vol. 29, pp. 251-266, 2003.
Volume 4, Issue 2
March 2025Pages 105-113
- Receive Date 20 July 2024
- Revise Date 01 December 2024
- Accept Date 06 January 2025