High-Specific Impulse Hall Thrusters, Part 1: Influence of Current Density and Magnetic Field
- 1 July 2006
- journal article
- Published by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in Journal of Propulsion and Power
- Vol. 22 (4), 721-731
- https://doi.org/10.2514/1.15952
Abstract
A laboratory-model Hall thruster with a magnetic circuit designed for high-specific impulse (2000-3000 s) was evaluated to determine how current density and magnetic field affect thruster operation. Results have shown for the first time that a minimum current density and optimum magnetic field shape exist at which efficiency will monotonically increase with specific impulse. At the nominal mass flow rate of 10 mg/s and between discharge voltages of 300 and 1000 V, total specific impulse and total efficiency ranged from 1600 to 3400 s and 51 to 61%, respectively. Comparison with a similar thruster showed how efficiency can be optimized for specific impulse by varying the shape of the magnetic field. Plume divergence decreased from a maximum of 48 deg at 400 V to a minimum of 35 deg at 1000 V, but increased between 300 and 400 V as the likely result of a large increase in discharge current oscillations. The breathing-mode frequency continuously increased with voltage, from 14.5 kHz at 300 V to 22 kHz at 1000 V, in contrast to other Hall thrusters where a sharp decrease of the breathing-mode frequency was found to coincide with increasing electron current and decreasing efficiency. These findings suggest that efficient, high-specific impulse operation was enabled through the regulation of the electron current with the applied magnetic field.Keywords
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