Hall thruster ignition device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a Hall thruster ignition device and method. The high-voltage side of a discharge unit in the device is connected with a first input end of a filtering unit, and the low-voltageside of the discharge unit is connected with a second input end of the filtering unit. A first output end of the filtering unit is connected with one end of a charge resistor, a cathode of a diode and an anode of a Hall thruster, and a second output end of the filtering unit is connected with one end of a charge capacitor and a cathode of the Hall thruster. The other end of the charge resistor, the other end of the charge capacitor, one end of a current-limiting resistor and an anode of the diode are connected together. The other end of a current-limiting resistor R3 is connected with one endof an ignition switch in series, and the other end of the ignition switch is connected with a cathode touch pole of the Hall thruster. The low-voltage side of a heating unit is connected with the low-voltage side of the discharge unit, and the high-voltage side of the heating unit is connected with a cathode of the Hall thruster. The design complexity of the ignition power source technology can be simplified, the effective load mass and volume of a power source space occupation device are reduced, and the ignition reliability is improved.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of Hall effect electric thrusters, in particular to an ignition device and method for a Hall effect electric thruster. Background technique [0002] Due to its simple structure, appropriate specific impulse and high efficiency, Hall thrusters are widely used in space propulsion tasks such as satellite position maintenance and orbit change. The ignition and start-up process is the first step in the orbital operation of the thruster, and it is also the most critical step. figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the Hall thruster ignition device in the background technology, such as figure 1 As shown, the traditional Hall thruster generally completes the ignition and realizes continuous and stable discharge through the following processes: First, the cathode supplies a certain amount of xenon gas, and the heating power switch S3 is closed to supply current to the cathode heater to heat the cathode emi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0003] In the existing ignition mode, when the discharge power switch S1 is closed, the capacitor C1 in the filter module is charged, but an electric field cannot be directly formed between the cathode contact electrode and the cathode negative electrode to extract electrons, and an additional high-voltage ignition is required. The power supply and a controllable ignition switch add high voltage to the contact pole of the cathode to realize the ignition and start of the Hall thruster, but there are limitations in the high-voltage power supply technology, the payload quality and the volume of the power supply occupying space.

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