Effect of Anode Dielectric Coating on Hall Thruster Operation

An interesting phenomenon observed in the near-anode region of a Hall thruster is that the anode fall changes from positive to negative upon removal of the dielectric coating, which is produced on the anode surface during the normal course of Hall thruster operation. The anode fall might affect the thruster lifetime and acceleration efficiency. The effect of the anode coating on the anode fall is studied experimentally using both biased and emissive probes. Measurements of discharge current oscillations indicate that thruster operation is more stable with the coated anode

Spectral Investigation of SPT MAG Insulator Erosion

I. Main Assumptions and Experiment Statement The lifetime of Hall effect thrusters is one of its most important characteristic, which strongly depends on discharge chamber insulators erosion rate. In order to estimate the mass flux of the sputtered substance from the source exit, in the first approximation, the following relationship has been used: * Professor, Sub-faculty of Physics, [email protected]

ТЕКТОНОТЕРМАЛЬНАЯ ЭВОЛЮЦИЯ ЗАГАНСКОГО КОМПЛЕКСА МЕТАМОРФИЧЕСКОГО ЯДРА ЗАБАЙКАЛЬЯ: РЕЗУЛЬТАТ ПОСТКОЛЛИЗИОННОГО РАЗРУШЕНИЯ МОНГОЛО-ОХОТСКОГО ОРОГЕНА В МЕЛУ – ПАЛЕОЦЕНЕ

Thermochronological reconstructions of the Zagan metamorphic core complex were carried out using samples from the central part of the core, mylonite zone detachment and lower nappe with U/Pb zircon dating, 40Ar/39Ar amphibole and mica dating, and apatite fission-track dating. In the tectonothermal evolution of the metamorphic core, there was distinguished an active phase (tectonic denudation) of the dome structure formation during the Early Cretaceous (131–114 Ma), which continued in the Late Cretaceous – Paleocene (111–54 Ma) in passive phase (erosive denudation). During an active phase, there was initiated a large-amplitude gently dipping normal fault (detachment), which was accompanied by tilting (sliding of rocks along subparallel listric faults). As a result, about 7 km thick rock strata underwent denudation over 17 Ma at a rate of about 0.4 mm/year. In passive phase, about 6 km thick rock strata were eroded over 57 Ma, with a denudation rate of about 0.1 mm/year. Thus, the Zagan metamorphic core complex was tectonically exposed from the mid-crust to depths of about 9 km in the Early Cretaceous as a result of post-collisional collapse of the Mongol-Okhotsk orogen. Further cooling of the rocks in the metamorphic core to depths of about 3 km occurred in the Late Cretaceous – Pliocene as a result of destruction of more than 6 km high mountains.Термохронологические реконструкции Заганского комплекса метаморфического ядра проводились по образцам центральной части ядра, зоны милонитов из детачмента и нижней части покрова с использованием U/Pb датирования циркона, 40Ar/39Ar датирования амфибола и слюд, трекового датирования апатита. В тектонотермальной эволюции метаморфического ядра выделена активная фаза (тектоническая денудация) в период раннего мела (131–114 млн лет), которая продолжилась в позднем мелу – палеоцене (111–54 млн лет) пассивной фазой (эрозионная денудация). В активную фазу произошла инициация крупноамплитудного пологопадающего сброса (детачмента), которая сопровождалась сползанием пород по субпараллельным листрическим сбросам. В результате за 17 млн лет было денудировано около 7 км мощности пород со скоростью около 0.4 мм/год. В пассивную фазу за 57 млн лет было размыто около около 6 км со скоростью денудации около 0.1 мм/год. Таким образом, тектоническая экспозиция Заганского метаморфического ядра со средних уровней коры до глубин около 9 км осуществлялась в раннем мелу в результате постколлизионного растяжения Монголо-Охотского орогена. Дальнейшее охлаждение пород метаморфического ядра до глубины около 3 км происходило в позднем мелу – плиоцене в результате разрушения горного поднятия, имеющего высоту более 6 км

Parametric investigation of miniaturized cylindrical and annular Hall thrusters

Conventional annular Hall thrusters become inefficient when scaled to low power. An alternative approach, a 2.6-cm miniaturized cylindrical Hall thruster with a cusp-type magnetic field distribution, was developed and studied. Its performance was compared to that of a conventional annular thruster of the same dimensions. The cylindrical thruster exhibits discharge characteristics similar to those of the annular thruster, but it has a much higher propellant ionization efficiency. Significantly, a large fraction of multi-charged xenon ions might be present in the outgoing ion flux generated by the cylindrical thruster. The operation of the cylindrical thruster is quieter than that of the annular thruster. The characteristic peak in the discharge current fluctuation spectrum at 50-60 kHz appears to be due to ionization instabilities. In the power range 50-300 W, the cylindrical and annular thrusters have comparable efficiencies (15-32%) and thrusts (2.5-12 mN). For the annular configuration, a voltage less than 200 V was not sufficient to sustain the discharge at low propellant flow rates. The cylindrical thruster can operate at voltages lower than 200 V, which suggests that a cylindrical thruster can be designed to operate at even smaller power

Electron-wall interaction in Hall thrusters

Electron-wall interaction effects in Hall thrusters are studied through measurements of the plasma response to variations of the thruster channel width and the discharge voltage. The discharge voltage threshold is shown to separate two thruster regimes. Below this threshold, the electron energy gain is constant in the acceleration region and therefore, secondary electron emission (SEE) from the channel walls is insufficient to enhance electron energy losses at the channel walls. Above this voltage threshold, the maximum electron temperature saturates. This result seemingly agrees with predictions of the temperature saturation, which recent Hall thruster models explain as a transition to space-charge saturated regime of the near-wall sheath. However, in the experiment, the maximum saturation temperature exceeds by almost three times the critical value estimated under the assumption of a Maxwellian electron energy distribution function. The channel narrowing, which should also enhance electron-wall collisions, causes unexpectedly larger changes of the plasma potential distribution than does the increase of the electron temperature with the discharge voltage. An enhanced anomalous crossed-field mobility (near wall or Bohm-type) is suggested by a hydrodynamic model as an explanation to the reduced electric field measured inside a narrow channel. We found, however, no experimental evidence of a coupling between the maximum electron temperature and the location of the accelerating voltage drop, which might have been expected due to the SEE-induced near-wall conductivity.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87763/2/057104_1.pd

Energetics of Propellant Options for High-Power Hall Thrusters

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76265/1/AIAA-16376-173.pd