A Vaporizing Liquid-Metal Anode for High-Power Hall Thrusters

Abstract

This report summarizes major findings from a three-year effort to develop and characterize a 2-kW bismuth Hall thruster. The device utilizes a set of segmented anodes, wherein discharge current can be shifted to control the temperature of a bismuth evaporator. Thruster performance on Xe is reported to establish a baseline attributable to segmented anode geometry separate from propellant species. Results are presented on bismuth, confirming the ability to maintain a self-sustaining metal-vapor plasma discharge using only waste heat from the thruster. Thermal failure of stainless-steel porous propellant diffusers is documented along with a fabrication strategy to construct diffusers using porous molybdenum. Results are presented for current and voltage behavior of a LaB6 cathode operating on bismuth vapors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 14, 2007
Accession Number
ADA469748

Entities

People

  • Alex W. Kieckhafer
  • Dean R. Massey
  • Jason M. Makela
  • Lyon B. King

Organizations

  • Michigan Technological University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Electric Propulsion
  • Geometry
  • Hall Effect
  • Hall Thrusters
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechatronic Engineering
  • Physical Properties
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Plasma Diagnostics
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Refractory Metals
  • Space Propulsion
  • Stainless Steel
  • Test Facilities
  • Thrusters

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Rocket Propulsion.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster