Review of Plasma-Induced Hall Thruster Erosion
Source abstract
Abstract
The Hall thruster is a high-efficiency spacecraft propulsion device that utilizes plasma to generate thrust. The most common variant of the Hall thruster is the stationary plasma thruster (SPT). Erosion of the SPT discharge chamber wall by plasma sputtering degrades thruster performance and ultimately ends thruster life. Many efforts over the past few decades have endeavored to understand wall erosion so that novel thrusters can be designed to operate for the thousands of hours required by many missions. However, due to the challenges presented by the plasma and material physics associated with erosion, a complete understanding has thus far eluded researchers. Sputtering rates are not well quantified, erosion features remain unexplained, and computational models are not yet predictive. This article reviews the physics of plasma-induced SPT erosion, highlights important experimental findings, provides an overview of modeling efforts, and discusses erosion mitigation strategies.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Plasma Diagnostics and Applications · Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics · Dust and Plasma Wave Phenomena
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Graduate Fellow, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Professor and Associate Chair, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Funding
Air Force Office of Scientific Research · National Science Foundation · Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation · Georgia Tech Institute for Materials
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