Authors:

Mathis Malaussena

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About Paper:

Hall effect thrusters are used for satellite propulsion and are a major area of research as their improvements could enable a broader range of space missions. A crucial element of their system is the neutralizer, which neutralizes the accelerated ion beam generated by the thruster. The commonly used hollow cathode neutralizer, while being the most efficient alternative, has a limited lifespan as it is easily contaminated by residual gaseous products present in vacuum chambers, imposing impractical stringent requirements for laboratory vacuum pumping systems. To overcome these limitations, this research aims to design and implement a neutralizer which uses an electrodeless inductively coupled plasma (ICP) discharge. ICP neutralizers enable stable, repeatable, and extended operation by eliminating the use of electrodes susceptible to contamination. The initial phase of research consists of prototyping the neutralizer, executed in a vacuum chamber with varying parameters, including gas flow rate, chamber pressure, coil, ICP chamber dimensions, and RF power and frequency. The results from this phase are based on photographic observations of the plasma generated, from which an array of parameter ranges for optimal operation were determined. The second phase consists of the implementation and optimization of the prototype within the system. Electrical parameters of the ICP neutralizer and SPT-100 Hall-effect thruster will be taken while running both systems in tandem. Development of an ICP neutralizer enables utilization of Hall-effect thrusters with various types of propellants and advancement of dual-mode propulsion concepts sharing the same propellant between the chemical and electric propulsion systems on a spacecraft. Keywords: Hall Effect Thruster; Inductively Coupled Plasma; Gas Discharge Physics; Electric Propulsion; RF Current

Source:

Purdue University / 2024

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Co-authors:

Mathis Malaussena