Magnetic confinement studies for performance enhancement of a 5-cm ion thruster

• Published in: IEEE transactions on plasma science Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 1319 - 1329
• Main Authors: Sandonato, G.M., Barroso, J.J., Montes, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.12.1996; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Accelerators and propulsion; Analytical models; Assembly; Cost function; Electrons; Exact sciences and technology; Ion and plasma propulsion; Ions; Magnetic confinement; Magnetism; Mass production; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma confinement; Plasma density; Plasma devices; Plasma stability; Propulsion; Design; Computerized simulation; Magnetic confinement; Performance; Ion thrusters
• ISSN: 0093-3813; 1939-9375
• DOI: 10.1109/27.553197

Several magnet assemblies relevant to ion thrusters were investigated using a numerical code to calculate the primary electron mean containment time. An analytical model was used to determine, consistently with the plasma stability condition, the ion thruster performance parameters, namely, the plasma ion energy cost, the plasma density, the plasma potential, and the doubly charged ion production rate as a function of the propellant mass flow rate. The numerical code was checked by reproducing the experimental performance parameters obtained from a 7-m checkerboard ion thruster. Using this approach, performance curves were obtained for a 5-cm ion thruster devised to produce a 1-mN thrust with low power and propellant consumption.