Experimental characterization of the narrow channel Hall thruster

Abstract

A miniature Hall thruster was developed in the Aerospace Plasma Laboratory (APL), Technion, designed to operate at low voltages and mass flow rates. The so-called narrow channel Hall thruster (NCHT) represents a compromise between exhaust velocity and operating power and is of an unconventional construction. The thruster proportions were selected to maintain sufficient gas density in low mass flow rates, resulting in a very narrow and short channel compared to the classical design. A 3 cm NCHT prototype was constructed with a ratio of channel width to mid diameter of 1:30. Initial data from the thruster operation show that at a mass flow rate of 0.38 mg s−1 and power of ≈15 W the thruster achieves a thrust level of about 1 mN. The thruster performance was characterized using both direct thrust measurements and ion beam diagnostics using a retarding potential analyzer.