Experimental and numerical investigation of a Hall thruster with a chamfered channel wall

• 来源期刊: 中国物理B（英文版）
• 关键词: Hall thruster chamfered wall discharge performance physical mechanism
• 年，卷（期）: 2018,（10）
• 页码范围: 433-444
• 页数: 12页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/27/10/105209

摘要

A discharge channel with a chamfered wall not only has application in the design of modern Hall thrusters, but also exists where the channel wall is eroded, and so is a common status for these units. In this paper, the laws and mechanisms that govern the effect of the chamfered wall on the performance of a Hall thruster are investigated. By applying both experimental measurement and particle-in-cell simulation, it is determined that there is a moderate chamfer angle that can further improve the optimal performance obtained with a straight channel. This is because the chamfering of the wall near the channel exit can enhance ion acceleration and effectively reduce ion recombination on the wall, which is favorable to the promotion of the thrust and efficiency. However, the chamfer angle should not be too large;otherwise, both the density of the propellant gas and the distribution of the plasma potential in the channel are infl uenced, which is undesirable for efficient propellant utilization and beam concentration. Therefore, it is suggested that the chamfer shape of the channel wall is an important factor that must be carefully considered in the design of Hall thrusters.