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Performance Parameter Analysis of a Hall Effect Thruster With Modified Bohm Parameter Model

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Abstract

The Hall effect thruster (HET) is an electric propulsion system in which electrons confined in a certain region collide with neutral particles due to the Hall effect. The neutral particles are ionized, and the ions are accelerated by the electric field to produce thrust. Thus, a Hall thruster has a simpler structure than an ion thruster. To improve the accuracy of the HET performance analysis, the energy change of electrons is predicted by considering thermal conduction. The number of ions produced by ionization and the change in electron energy via multivalent ionization are investigated. To minimize the independent variables, the boundary condition is modified after considering the physical correlation of each variable, and a semi-experimental model equation for the Bohm parameter is proposed. The performance results have greater similarity to the experimental results than those of the previous analytical model. Based on this, the performance changes according to the thruster operating conditions are predicted and compared. It is confirmed that the thrust increases by about 10–20% according to the change of propellant mass flow rate due to the increase of ion exit velocity.

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Abbreviations

A :

Cross area (m2)

B :

Magnetic flux density (T)

E :

Electric field (V/m)

e :

Electron charge (C)

F :

Thrust (N)

h :

Plume radial thickness (m)

I :

Current (A)

I sp :

Specific impulse (s)

m :

Particle mass (kg)

\( \dot{m} \) :

Propellant mass flow rate (kg/s)

n :

Number density (1/m2)

q :

Heat flux (W/m2)

R :

Ionization reaction rate (m3/s)

T e :

Electron temperature (eV)

v :

Velocity (m/s)

\( \alpha_{\text{B}} \) :

Bohm parameter

\( \varGamma \) :

Number density flux (1/s)

\( \phi \) :

Electric potential (V)

\( \nu \) :

Collision frequency

\( \omega_{\text{e}} \) :

Electron cyclotron frequency (1/s)

ano:

Anomalous

d:

Discharge

e:

Electron

i:

Ion

n:

Neutral

x :

x-Axis direction

w:

Wall

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2015M1A3A3A 02104484).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research & Development, Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd., Sacheon-si, South Korea

    Min Gyoung Cho

  2. Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Korea Aerospace University, Gyeonggido, Korea

    Gwanyong Jung & Hong-Gye Sung

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  1. Min Gyoung Cho
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  2. Gwanyong Jung
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Correspondence to Min Gyoung Cho.

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Cho, M.G., Jung, G. & Sung, HG. Performance Parameter Analysis of a Hall Effect Thruster With Modified Bohm Parameter Model. Int. J. Aeronaut. Space Sci. 21, 1028–1036 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-020-00263-w

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