Performance Comparison Between a Magnesium- and Xenon-Fueled 2 Kilowatt Hall Thruster

Abstract

The performance metrics of a 2-kW-class thruster operated using magnesium propellant were measured and compared to the performance of the same thruster operated using xenon propellant. When operated with magnesium at a 7 A discharge current, the thruster had thrust ranging from at 200 V using of propellant to at 300 V using of propellant. The thrust-to-power ratio ranged from at 200 V to at 300 V. At a 200 V discharge voltage, the specific impulse was at efficiency (at 7 A using ). At a 300 V discharge voltage, the specific impulse was at efficiency (at 5 A using ). The performance of the thruster using magnesium propellant was compared to xenon performance at matched molar propellant flow rates: for xenon and for magnesium. The xenon-fueled thruster produced of thrust, with a specific impulse of , at an efficiency of compared to the magnesium-fueled thruster, which produced of thrust, with a specific impulse of , at an efficiency of .