Characterization of a Cluster of High Power Helicon Thrusters

Vereen, Keon; Kimber, Angela M.; Correy, John; Olson, D. K.; Martin, H.; Winglee, R. M.

doi:10.2514/6.2017-4628

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The magnetic configuration of each HPT is created by a solenoid yielding a magnetic field strength of 920 G at the center of the corresponding outlet surface. Asymmetric magnetic configurations that form in a HPTs' cluster are expected to influence the plume expansion [43][44][45]. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine, for the first time, how clustering impacts the plasma dynamics within the MN.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A-C exhibit nearly identical divergence angles, but their plume directions differ primarily due to the orientation of the magnetic field lines. It is worth to observe that in previous experiments discussed in [43,45], solenoids with the same polarity were tilted to have a magnetic field more parallel to the z axis in the thruster outlet proximity. This design has enabled better collimation of the ion flux and suggested an improvement in cluster performance compared to a single thruster.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Clustering HPTs is highly appealing, provided the reliability and low cost of this class of thrusters. Nonetheless, only a few studies are focused on this topic, provided the complexity of evaluating the propulsive performance both experimentally [43] and numerically [44]. Experiments performed at the University of Washington in 2017 suggest that clustering HPTs might result in an increment of the performance provided the increase of both plasma density and ion exit velocity [43,45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, only a few studies are focused on this topic, provided the complexity of evaluating the propulsive performance both experimentally [43] and numerically [44]. Experiments performed at the University of Washington in 2017 suggest that clustering HPTs might result in an increment of the performance provided the increase of both plasma density and ion exit velocity [43,45]. To date, only two-dimensional (2D) preliminary analyses of magnetic configurations representative of an HPTs' cluster have been accomplished [44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, only two-dimensional (2D) preliminary analyses of magnetic configurations representative of an HPTs' cluster have been accomplished [44]. Nonetheless, asymmetric magnetic field configurations arising in an HPTs' cluster are expected to affect the plasma dynamics in the MN and, in turn, the overall propulsive performance [43][44][45]. The lack of accurate three-dimensional (3D) simulations is mainly due to their computational burden, which has become affordable only recently [46,47].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Magnetic nozzle performance in a cluster of helicon plasma thrusters

Di Fede,

Manente,

João Comunian

et al. 2023

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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A numerical study of the plasma dynamics in a Helicon Plasma Thrusters' (HPT) cluster is presented. For the first time in the literature, the three-dimensional (3D) plasma dynamics occurring in the plume of a HPTs' cluster is analyzed. The physical investigation relies on ProPic, a 3D Particle-In-Cell (PIC) code specifically designed to simulate the plasma dynamics in magnetic nozzles and in a non-axi-symmetric domain. The code has been validated against experiments reported in the literature and cross-validated with Starfish, an open-source two-dimensional PIC software. The physical investigation has revealed an interesting mutual influence between the thrusters that constitute the cluster. Three significant phenomena that affect the cluster's performance have been identified. The first phenomenon is related to the effect that clustering has on the shape of the magnetic field lines and, in turn, on the divergence angle of the plume. The second phenomenon is related to electron currents flowing among different thrusters, which affect the potential drop across the plume. The third phenomenon is related to the effect that neighboring thrusters have on the plasma potential map and, in turn, on the expansion of the ions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Magnetic nozzle performance in a cluster of helicon plasma thrusters

Di Fede,

Manente,

João Comunian

et al. 2023

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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Magnetic arch plasma expansion\in a cluster of two ECR plasma sources

Boyé,

Navarro-Cavallé,

Merino

2024

Preprint

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The feasibility of a novel 'magnetic arch' topology for controllecd contactless plasma beam acceleration is experimentally demonstrated using a pair of coaxial electron cyclotron resonance sources with opposing magnetic polarities, such that their respective magnetic nozzles connect to form a closed-line configuration. Retarding potential analyser measurements are taken for a single source and the two sources with same and opposing polarities, as well as no applied magnetic field, showing that the magnetic arch yields higher maximum ion current and lower plume divergence angle than other configurations, albeit the mean ion energy is lower, in agreement with existing models. This validation paves the way to clustering magnetic-nozzle-based plasma thrusters for space propulsion.

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