Optimizing a Hall thruster with aft-loaded magnetic field by aft-loading design of gas flow

Abstract

Electric propulsion systems with high-specific impulses have replaced chemical propulsion systems in many space missions. The aft-loaded magnetic field technology of Hall thrusters moves the ionization and acceleration processes downstream of the channel by varying the magnetic field distribution. Consequently, ion bombardment of the channel walls is inhibited, and the service life of the Hall thrusters is substantially increased. However, neutral gas leaks because of the rapid diffusion near the channel outlet, where strong ionization occurs. Thus, the propellant atoms are ionized insufficiently, resulting in a decline in the performance. Therefore, an aft-loading design for the neutral gas flow field was developed to optimization distribution of the neutral gas in this study. A 1.5 kW Hall thruster was verified experimentally. The experimental results show that the aft-loaded neutral gas flow field significantly improved the ionization and acceleration processes. The propellant utilization efficiency increased by 4–8% within the discharge voltage range of 300–900 V. The ion energy distribution moved toward the high-energy direction significantly, promoting an overall improvement in the performance, with a thrust increase of 7.3–11.5 %. The anode efficiency increased from 49–57 % to 58–61 %. The results of this study are significant for the design of high-performance, long-life Hall thrusters.