Electron Transport in Hall Thrusters

Winston Frias Graduate Student University of Saskatchewan

May 9 2012 8/9/12 11

Outline of the talk

Hall Thrusters Electron Transport in Hall Thrusters Future Work

I. II. III.

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I. Thrusters

Hall

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Introduction Hall thrusters are electrostatic coaxial plasma accelerators. Developed and successfully operated in USSR from 1960s (>240 missions), SPT100 last decade used in USA and Europe. Main features: - High specific impulse, - High efficiency, - Low thrust. Well suited for station keeping and orbit transfer. Two main types: - Stationary plasma thruster (SPT), - Thruster with anode layer (TAL). - SPT most common and best studied configuration.
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Hall Thrusters

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Hall Thruster

Propellant Xe

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Current Issues in Hall Thruster Research Hall thruster applications are expanding. New requirements on reliability , performance, lifespan, efficiency, etc. New and more sophisticated computer codes to simulate Hall thrusters. Fluid, fully kinetic, hybrid or PIC codes. Major physics problem has not been resolved: How to explain and predict anomalously large electron current Plasma fluctuations. Fundamental problem - plasma turbulence induced electron transport Near wall conductivity (enhanced collisions with the walls)
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Problems common to other devices e.g. magnetron discharges, PIII. 8/9/12 77

II. Transport

Electron

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Classical Electron Transport in Absence of Magnetic Fields

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Steady-state and large collision frequency assumed. Fluid Equation Solve for v assuming isothermal plasma to obtain

Mobility Diffusio n The mobility and diffusion coefficients are then given by:

Related via Einstein relation

99

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Classical Electron Transport in Presence of Magnetic Fields

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Particle is magnetized if undergoes many gyrations before colliding. Its Hall parameter is high Solve for electron velocity:
Large Hall Paramete r electron E B drift (azimuthal) collisio n Mobility proportion al to 1/B2

E B
1010

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Anomalous Transport

Experimental values for electron current to anode were orders of magnitude higher than predicted by classical theory. Two main mechanisms proposed to explain anomalous transport in Hall Thrusters: - Fluctuation-induced transport - Near- wall conductivity

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Fluctuation Induced Transport - Instabilities give rise to transport. - Using continuity equation, perturbed density and velocity for ions and electrons can be obtained. The time average is given by Characterize

d by effective Hall Parameter

- Current has two contributions:

Fluctuating current. Time average not zero due to relative phase difference, even when time average of the individual perturbations is zero. Not predicted by classical theory. 8/9/12 1212

Near Wall Conductivity Electron collisions with the wall lead to decorrelation of particle motion and enhanced transport
Wall
Collision

- Proposed by Morozov
B

- Channel width < e,n

Electron flux to the wall Effective electron-wall collision frequency

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III. progress

Work in

Improving the theory of linear instabilities Temperature effects and full compressibility Analysis of linear growth rates for various instabilities thought to be relevant to observed fluctuations in Hall Thruster Experimental profiles are used to predict the growth rates, frequency and wavelengths range of unstable modes Quasilinear theory estimates of electron transport Nonlinear simulations of electron transport with a fluid 8/9/12 1414 code
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Plasma models for a Hall Thruster

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Electrons and ions modelled as fluids. Magnetized electrons. Unmagnetized ions.

continuity and momentum Electron continuity and Radial magnetic field and axial electric field. momentum equations equations Slab geometry.

- Ion

Kinetic effects of importance: SEE from walls; EVDF NonMaxwellian 8/9/12 1515

Main Instabilities of interest

Name Assumptions Free energy source Electric field, drift velocity associated with gradients Electric field, drift velocity associated with gradients Interaction of E x B flow in presence of electron collisions Growth Rate 100 KHz-50 MHz

100 KHz-15 MHz

Resistive Instabilities (Litvak et al. 2004) Modified electron cyclotron Beam (Ducroq8/9/12 Heron

1 MHz

10-100 MHz 1616

Abbreviations

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Dispersion Relation Solution

Unstable for , 8/9/12

Maximum growth Rate of the order of 10-30 MHz 1818

Dispersion Relation

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Raitses 20122020

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Further extensions: Resistive Instabilities (destabilized low hydrid waves) - Electrons are cold. No density, magnetic field or temperature gradients.
Dispersion Relation Assuming

Growth Rate of the order of 1 MHz 8/9/12 2323

Further extensions: Effects of finite wave vector and cyclotron effects: Modified two stream instability and Electron Cyclotron Beam Instability
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Instability due to relative electron drift motion. Inclusion of parallel component of wave vector. Drift frequency larger than electron cyclotron frequency. Dispersion
Relation

Ignoring parallel component of wave vector:

Instability will occur for

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Future work Estimate the transport arising from these instabilities. Compare the theoretical results thus obtained with experiments and computer simulations.

- For this purpose, the computer code BOUT will be adapted to simulate Hall thrusters.
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Ultimate goal: Try to better understand anomalous transport in Hall Thruster devices.

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Acknowledgements My supervisor Dr Andrei I Smolyakov. Dr E. Raitses of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for providing experimental data and discussions. My fellow graduate students. The department of Physics & Engineering Physics. My friends. My wife, Lili.

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Thank You! Questions are welcome !

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