Experimental Investigation of the CFHT-27 Cusped-Field Hall Thruster Performance

Abstract

Cusped-field Hall thrusters (CFHT) have significant potential for use in many space missions due to their simplicity, long life and high efficiency. CFHT-27, designed and developed at the Bogazici University Space Technologies Laboratory (BUSTLab), is a prototype CFHT with a 27-mm diameter discharge channel. CFHT-27 utilizes samarium-cobalt (SmCo) permanent magnets. The thrust and efficiency of a cusped-field thruster is closely related to its size and design parameters. In this study, in order to understand the relationships between the design parameters and the thruster performance, the performance tests of the CFHT-27 are carried out for a given magnetic field topology. The thruster was operated at discharge voltages ranging from 250 to 500V with argon propellant with up to 3,000 s of specific impulse. The measurements show that CFHT-27 can achieve thrust values from 1 to 46 mN. Thus, this thruster can be used for a wide range of thrust values allowing throttle capabilities for different missions.