Hall Thruster Shared Magnetic Circuit Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Hall thrusters require multiple magnetic circuit structures and power processing units when arranged in close proximity, leading to excessive weight, volume, power consumption, complexity, and cost, making them inefficient and expensive for spacecraft applications.
Innovation Solution
A Hall thruster with a shared magnetic structure that uses a single magnetic circuit structure and power processing unit for multiple plasma accelerators, reducing the number of magnetic field sources and enabling steering, attitude control, and throttle adjustment by creating a transverse magnetic field and axial electric field for ionization and thrust generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple conventional Hall thrusters are arranged in close proximity with separate magnetic circuit structures, then each thruster can operate independently, but the system experiences excessive weight, volume, and power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple plasma accelerators share a common magnetic circuit structure with shared outer and inner poles, eliminating the need for separate magnetic field sources for each thruster. This merging approach reduces overall system weight while maintaining independent operation capability through individual power processing units and propellant supply systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared magnetic circuit structure serves multiple plasma accelerators simultaneously, with the common poles and magnetic field sources providing magnetic confinement for all thrusters. This multi-functional design reduces redundancy while allowing each plasma accelerator to operate independently with its own control systems.
2Reliability
If each plasma accelerator has its own magnetic circuit structure, then magnetic field control is optimized for each thruster, but the system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic circuit structures of multiple plasma accelerators are merged into a single shared structure with common poles and magnetic field sources. This reduces the number of separate magnetic circuits from N (for N thrusters) to 1, significantly simplifying the overall system while maintaining adequate magnetic field control for each plasma accelerator.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared magnetic circuit structure is designed to serve multiple plasma accelerators simultaneously, with the magnetic field distributed across all thrusters. Individual power processing units allow each plasma accelerator to maintain its own operational parameters while sharing the common magnetic infrastructure.
3Ease of operation
If separate power processing units are provided for each Hall thruster, then each thruster can be controlled independently, but the power consumption and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple plasma accelerators share a common power processing unit that distributes power to all thrusters. This shared power system reduces the total number of power processing units from N to 1, decreasing overall power consumption and volume while maintaining independent control capability through individual propellant supply and electrical circuit control for each plasma accelerator.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The shared magnetic structure significantly reduces weight, volume, and power requirements while simplifying the design, enhancing efficiency, and providing control mechanisms for thrust direction and intensity, making the system less complex and cost-effective.
Implementation Method 1
a shared magnetic circuit structure that establishes a transverse magnetic field in each of the plasma accelerators which presents an impedance to the flow of electrons towards the anode
Implementation Method 2
the electrons spend most of their time drifting azimuthally (orthogonally) due to the transverse magnetic field. This allows the electrons time to collide with and ionize the neutral atoms
Implementation Method 3
An electric circuit provides an electric potential that is applied between the anode and a floating externally located cathode. The collisions create positively charged ions that are accelerated by the electric field to create thrust
Data Source
AI summary
A Hall thruster with a shared magnetic structure including a plurality of plasma accelerators each including an anode and a discharge zone for providing plasma discharge. An electrical circuit having one or more cathodes connected to the plurality of plasma accelerators emits electrons that are attracted to the anode in each of the plasma accelerators. A shared magnetic circuit structure establishes a transverse magnetic field in each of the plurality of plasma accelerators that creates an impedance to the flow of electrons toward the anode in each of the plurality of plasma accelerators and enables ionization of a gas moving through one or more of the plurality of plasma accelerators. The impedance localizes an axial electric field in the plurality of plasma accelerators for accelerating ionized gas through the one or more of the plurality of plasma accelerators to create thrust.