Atmospheric propellant fed Hall thruster discharges: 0D-hybrid model and experimental results

As part of on-going efforts in advancing air-breathing electric propulsion, the HT5k Hall thruster was characterized in six operating conditions, ranging from 5 mg s(-1) to 7 mg s(-1) of 0.56N(2) + 0.44O(2) mass flow rate and 225 V to 300 V of discharge voltage. The cathode was operated with N-2 at mass flow rates between 0.5 mg s(-1) and 0.7 mg s(-1). This paper presents a 0D-hybrid model for atmospheric propellant fed Hall thruster discharges. Verified performance ranged between 30 mN to 120 mN in thrust, 1.2 kW to 5.2 kW in discharge power, and 8% to 18% in anodic efficiency. Calibrated model comparison against experimental data resulted in a mean absolute error of 3.7% in thrust and 7.6% in discharge power.

Automated summary

This paper characterizes the HT5k Hall thruster in different operating conditions and proposes a 0D-hybrid model for atmospheric propellant fed Hall thruster discharges. The calibrated model comparison against experimental data shows a mean absolute error of 3.7% in thrust and 7.6% in discharge power.