Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T15:32:53.586Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Performance tests of IPPLM's krypton Hall thruster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

Jacek Kurzyna ,
Maciej Jakubczak ,
Agnieszka Szelecka  and
Käthe Dannenmayer
Jacek Kurzyna*
Affiliation:
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM), Hery 23, 01-497 Warsaw, Poland
Maciej Jakubczak
Affiliation:
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM), Hery 23, 01-497 Warsaw, Poland Faculty of Physics, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland
Agnieszka Szelecka
Affiliation:
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM), Hery 23, 01-497 Warsaw, Poland
Käthe Dannenmayer
Affiliation:
ESA, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands
*
Author for correspondence: Jacek Kurzyna, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion's (IPPLM) Hall effect thruster (Krypton Large IMpulse Thruster, KLIMT) is a 500 W class plasma engine with a mean diameter of discharge channel of 42 mm. KLIMT was developed within ESA/PECS project aiming to provide relatively small thruster for satellites that would be able to effectively operate with krypton propellant. Being several times less expensive than xenon, which is regarded as a propellant of choice for electric propulsion of electrostatic type, krypton since years has been suggested as an attractive alternative. In this paper, a design as well as performance tests of the laboratory model of KLIMT are discussed. It is shown that precise adjustment of magnetic field topography results in the stable operation of the thruster in wide range of operating conditions providing similar thrust and specific impulse production for both propellants. Maximum thrust produced with the use of xenon and krypton reached about 16–17 mN for mass flow rate of 1.15–1.2 mg/s resulting in specific impulse in the range of 1300–1500 s (13–15 km/s). However, for krypton the anode efficiency drops by ~10% in comparison with xenon. For krypton plasma beam divergence as measured by an average half-angle with respect to the beam axis was found to remain within the range of 19–23° for the whole set of the examined operating conditions. The reported characteristics are reasonable for Hall thruster of the discussed size and power.

Keywords

Alternative propellantselectric propulsionHall effect thrusterperformanceplasma beam divergence
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , March 2018 , pp. 105 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahedo, E and Gallardo, JM (2003) Scaling down Hall thrusters. Paper No. IEPC-2003-104. 28th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Toulouse, France.Google Scholar
Barral, S (2003) Numerical studies of Hall thrusters based on fluid equations for plasma. PhD thesis, IPPT-PAN, Warsaw, Poland.Google Scholar
Barral, S and Ahedo, E (2009) Low-frequency model of breathing oscillations in Hall discharge. Physical Review E 79, 046401.Google Scholar
Barral, S (2012) In Misuri, T (ed.). EC FP7 “HiPER” project (GA no. 218859) 3rd Periodic Report, 84-90. Available at http://www.alta-space.com/hiper/pdf/THIRD_periodic_report_en_i2r3.pdf.Google Scholar
Brown, DL, William Larson, C, Beal, BE and Gallimore, AD (2009) Methodology and historical perspective of a Hall thruster efficiency analysis. Journal of Propulsion and Power 25, 1163–1177.Google Scholar
Bugrova, AI, Bishaev, AM, Desyatskov, AV, Kozintseva, MV, Lipatov, AS and Dudeck, M (2013) Experimental investigations of a krypton stationary plasma thruster. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering 2013, Article ID 686132, 7 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/686132.Google Scholar
Ceramawire (2011) Ceramawire High Temperature Magnet Wire Technical Specs. Available at http://www.ceramawire.com/technical-information.shtml#2.Google Scholar
Choueiri, EY (2004) A critical history of electric propulsion: the first fifty years (1906–1956). Journal of Propulsion and Power 20, 193–203.Google Scholar
Dannenmayer, K and Mazouffre, S (2011) Elementary scaling relations for Hall effect thrusters. Journal of Propulsion and Power 27, 236–245.Google Scholar
Geng, J, Brieda, L, Rose, L and Keidar, M (2013) On applicability of the “thermalized potential” solver in simulations of the plasma flow in Hall thrusters. Journal of Applied Physics 114, 103305.Google Scholar
Goebel, DM and Katz, I (2008) Chapter 2: Thruster principles. In Yuen, JH (ed.). Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion: Ion and Hall Thrusters. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 15–34.Google Scholar
Gonzalez del Amo, J, Saccoccia, G and Frigot, P-E (2009) ESA Propulsion Lab at ESTEC, Paper No. IEPC-2009-236. 31st International Electric Propulsion Conference, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.Google Scholar
Gorshkov, OA and Shagaida, AA (2008) The criterion of optimal configuration of magnetic field in a thruster with closed electron drift. High Temperature 46, 529–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gulczinski, FS and Spores, RA (1996) Analysis of Hall-Effect Thrusters and Ion Engines for Orbit Transfer Missions, Paper No. AIAA-96-2973. 32nd Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA.Google Scholar
Kamhawi, H, Haag, T, Jacobson, D and Manzella, D (2011) Performance Evaluation of the NASA-300 M 20 kW Hall Effect Thruster. Paper No. AIAA-2011-5521. 47th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, San Diego, California, USA.Google Scholar
Kieckhafer, A and King, LB (2007) Energetics of propellant options for high-power Hall thrusters. Journal of Propulsion and Power 23, 21–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, V, Popov, G, Kozlov, V, Skrylnikov, A and Grdlichko, D (2001). Investigation of SPT performance and particularities of its operation with Kr and Kr/Xe mixtures. Paper No IEPC-01-065. 27th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Pasadena, CA, USA.Google Scholar
Kurzyna, J, Barral, S, Daniłko, D, Miedzik, J, Bulit, A and Dannenmayer, K (2014). First Tests of the KLIMT Thruster with Xenon Propellant at the ESA Propulsion Laboratory. Paper No. 2980923. Space Propulsion 2014, Cologne, Germany.Google Scholar
Kurzyna, J and Daniłko, D (2011) IPPLM Hall Effect Thruster – design guidelines and preliminary tests. Paper No. IEPC-2011-221. 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference, Wiesbaden, Germany.Google Scholar
Kurzyna, J, Gascon, N, Bonhomme, G, Dudeck, MA, Makowski, K, Lago, V, Lebehot, A and Peradzynski, Z (2002) Oscillations of discharge current in a stationary plasma thruster. High Temperature Material Processes 6(2), 50.Google Scholar
Kurzyna, J and Szelecka, A (2016a) KLIMT – Krypton Large IMpulse Thruster, Final Report. PECS – ESA Contract No. 4000107746/13/NL/KLM.Google Scholar
Kurzyna, J, Szelecka, A, Daniłko, D, Barral, S, Dannenmayer, K, Bosch Borras, E and Schönherr, T (2016b) Testing KLIMT prototypes at IPPLM and ESA Propulsion Laboratories. Paper No. 3125256. Space Propulsion 2016. Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
Leporini, A, Giannetti, V, Andreussi, T, Pedrini, D, Rossodivita, A, Piragino, A, Andrenucci, M and Estublier, D (2016) Development of a 20 kW-class Hall effect thruster. Paper No. 3125196. Space Propulsion 2016. Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
Linnell, JA and Gallimore, AD (2006) Efficiency analysis of a Hall thruster operating with krypton and xenon. Journal of Propulsion and Power 22, 1402–1412.Google Scholar
Longmier, BW, Reid, BM, Gallimore, AD, Chang-Díaz, FR, Squire, JP, Glover, TW, Chavers, G and Bering, EA (2009) Validating a plasma momentum flux sensor to an inverted pendulum thrust stand. Journal of Propulsion and Power 25, 746–752.Google Scholar
Mazouffre, S (2016) Electric propulsion for satellites and spacecraft: established technologies and novel approaches. Plasma Sources Science and Technology 25, 033002.Google Scholar
Meeker, DC (2010) Finite Element Method Magnetics. Version 4.2, 2nd Nov. Build. Available at http://www.femm.info.Google Scholar
Morozov, AI and Savelyev, VV (2000) Fundamentals of stationary plasma thruster theory. Review of Plasma Physics 21, 203–391.Google Scholar
Nakles, MR, Hargus, WA Jr, Delgado, JJ and Corey, RL (2011) A performance comparison of xenon and krypton propellant on an SPT-100 Hall thruster, Paper No. IEPC-2011-003. 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference, Wiesbaden, Germany.Google Scholar
Scharfe, DB (2009) Alternative Hall thruster propellants krypton and bismuth: simulated performance and characterization. PhD thesis, Stanford University, CA, USA.Google Scholar
Shagaida, AA (2015) On scaling of Hall effect thrusters. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 43, 12–28.Google Scholar
Shagaida, AA, Gorshkov, OA and Tomilin, DA (2012) Influence of the erosion of the discharge channel wall on the efficiency of a stationary plasma thruster. Technical Physics 57, 1083–1089.Google Scholar
Sutton, GP and Biblarz, O (2017) Rocket Propulsion Elements, 11th edn. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Szelecka, A, Kurzyna, J and Bourdain, L (2017) Thermal stability of the krypton Hall effect thruster. Nukleonika 62, 9–15.Google Scholar
Zhurin, VV, Kaufman, HR and Robinson, RS (1999) Physics of closed drift thrusters. Plasma Sources, Science and Technology 8, R1.Google Scholar