Abstract
Potential sputtering erosion caused by the interactions between spacecraft and plasma plume of Hall thrusters is a concern for electric propulsion. In this study, calculation model of Hall thruster’s plume and sputtering erosion is presented. The model is based on three dimensional hybrid particle‐in‐cell and direct simulation Monte Carlo method (PIC/DSMC method) which is integrated with plume‐wall sputtering yield model. For low‐energy heavy‐ion sputtering in Hall thruster plume, the Matsunami formula for the normal incidence sputtering yield and the Yamamura angular dependence of sputtering yield are used. The validation of the simulation model is realized through comparing plume results with the measured data. Then, SPT‐70’s sputtering erosion on satellite surfaces is assessed and effect of mass flow rate on sputtering erosion is analyzed.
Highlights
Hall thrusters have become a tempting alternative to traditional chemical propulsion systems due to the great mass saving that they provide through high specific impulses
Plume-wall sputtering model is integrated in the PIC/DSMC model, in which the Matsunami formula for the normal incidence sputtering yield and the Yamamura formula for angular dependence of sputtering yield are used
In 1969, Sigmund 22 derived the formula for the sputtering yield by solving the linearized Boltzmann equation based on the assumption that the collision cascade is well developed in the infinite medium and the heat of sublimation is the surface binding energy
Summary
Hall thrusters have become a tempting alternative to traditional chemical propulsion systems due to the great mass saving that they provide through high specific impulses. For Hall thrusters, the divergence angle of particles is relatively large, leading to the possibility of direct impingements of high energy propellant ions onto the spacecraft surfaces which result in sputtering and degradation of material properties. In order to effectively assess the contamination of plasma plume and improve the performance of electric thrusters, it is crucially important to develop a computational sputtering erosion method. There are two main ways for calculation of plume: semiempirical methods 1–3 and PIC/DSMC method 4–8. PIC/DSMC method which is a general way to simulate plasma plume tracks every real physical process, such as particle moving, particle collision, and electric field calculation. A 3D PIC/DSMC model is built for plume and sputtering yield calculation, in which plume-wall interaction model for sputtering erosion calculation is integrated. Propellant mass flow rate effect on sputtering erosion is assessed
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