Magnetic field optimization of hall thruster with large height-radius ratio for high specific impulse operation

Abstract

Hall thrusters with large height-radius ratio not only have incalculable application values in reducing the volume and weight of thrusters, but also have the potential advantages of higher discharge performance and longer service life. However, the lower propellant density in the main ionization zone and the higher electron temperature in the channel aggravate the loss of propellant and current under high voltage, and significantly reduce the discharge efficiency under high specific impulse mode. To improve the discharge performance of Hall thrusters with large height-radius ratio under high voltage, an optimization scheme of internally loaded magnetic field was proposed in this work. The simulation results show that under the internally loaded magnetic field, both the ionization zone and the acceleration zone move toward the inside of the channel. Although the ion loss on the walls increases, the higher propellant density at the channel upstream greatly promotes the increase of ionization rate and significantly improves the propellant utilization efficiency. The second zone crossed by magnetic field lines in the channel can be established by the internally loaded magnetic field, which enhances the magnetic field intensity on the inner and outer walls, and reduces the electron temperature near the channel outlet significantly. So that the axial conduction of electrons is effectively restrained and the current utilization efficiency is greatly improved. With the introduction of internally loaded magnetic field, the total efficiency of HEP-1350PM can be increased by 7.2% at 400 V. Moreover, the performance optimization effect brought by the internally loaded magnetic field will be gradually amplified with the increase of discharge voltage, which makes the Hall thruster with large height-radius ratio expected to achieve high-efficiency discharge under higher specific impulse.