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US 11,540,381 B1Granted
High propellant throughput hall-effect thrusters
OwnerGabriel F. Benavides, Hani Kamhawi +1inventors
InventorsGabriel F. Benavides, Hani Kamhawi, Timothy R. Verhey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
High propellant throughput Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) and components thereof are disclosed. A compact and high propellant throughput HET has an improved magnetic circuit that mostly shields the discharge chamber walls from high-energy ionized propellant, low-profile sacrificial pole covers to delay magnetic pole erosion, a unique discharge chamber subassembly, a mechanically crimped cathode emitter retainer to increase efficiency, a center-mounted hollow cathode, or a combination thereof. Such feature(s) may balance propellant throughput and thruster performance, minimize the volume of the thruster envelope, and/or simplify the thruster assembly.
Claims17
A Hall-effect thruster (HET), comprising:
- a discharge chamber comprising a wall;
- an inner front pole;
- an outer front pole located radially outward from the inner front pole;
- an inner screen located at least partially below the inner front pole;
- an outer screen located at least partially below the outer front pole;
- and
- a back pole located below the inner front pole and the outer front pole;
- an inner front pole cover comprising an orifice;
- and
- a cathode keeper orifice plate comprising an orifice, wherein
- the orifice of the inner front pole cover is at least a size equal to the orifice of the cathode keeper orifice plate, but smaller than an outside diameter of the cathode keeper orifice plate;
- an inner magnet winding located radially inside the inner screen;
- and
- an outer magnet winding located radially outside the outer screen, wherein
- the inner front pole, the outer front pole, the inner screen, the outer screen, the back pole, the inner magnet winding, and the outer magnet winding collectively form a magnetic circuit configured to provide a magnetic field topology, and
- the magnetic field topology is configured to provide a magnetic field that partially intersects with a downstream end of the wall of the discharge chamber of the HET such that some ions generated in the discharge chamber of the HET contact the downstream end of the wall of the discharge chamber.
13 more elements
A Hall-effect thruster (HET), comprising:
- an inner front pole;
- an outer front pole located radially outward from the inner front pole;
- an inner front pole cover that covers and protects the inner front pole;
- and
- an outer front pole cover that covers and protects the outer front pole, wherein
- an end of the inner front pole cover, an end of the outer front pole cover, or both, are substantially coplanar with an exit plane of a discharge chamber of the HET in a downstream direction with respect to an emission of ions from the HET;
- and
- the inner front pole cover comprises a thickened section that extends radially inward into a corresponding recess in the inner front pole, the outer front pole cover comprises a thickened section that extends radially inward into a corresponding recess in the outer front pole, or both.
5 more elements
A cathode subassembly, comprising:
- a cathode tube;
- and
- an emitter and an emitter retainer located within the cathode tube;
- a spring located between the emitter and the emitter retainer within the cathode tube;
- and
- a cathode tube orifice plate;
- wherein:
- the cathode tube is crimped or swaged around the emitter retainer at one or more locations along a length of the emitter retainer and the spring presses the emitter against the cathode tube orifice plate.
5 more elements
A Hall-effect thruster (HET), comprising:
- a cathode subassembly, comprising:
- a cathode tube, and
- an emitter and an emitter retainer located within the cathode tube,
- a spring located between the emitter and the emitter retainer within the cathode tube;
- and
- a cathode tube orifice plate;
- wherein
- the cathode tube is crimped or swaged around the emitter retainer at one or more locations along a length of the emitter retainer, and the spring presses the emitter against the cathode tube orifice plate
- a discharge chamber comprising a wall;
- an inner front pole;
- an outer front pole located radially outward from the inner front pole;
- an inner screen located at least partially below the inner front pole;
- an outer screen located at least partially below the outer front pole;
- and
- a back pole located below the inner front pole and the outer front pole;
- an inner magnet winding located radially inside the inner screen;
- and
- an outer magnet winding located radially outside the outer screen, wherein
- the inner front pole, the outer front pole, the inner screen, the outer screen, the back pole, the inner magnet winding, and the outer magnet winding collectively form a magnetic circuit configured to provide a magnetic field topology, and
- the magnetic field topology is configured to provide a magnetic field that partially intersects with a downstream end of the wall of the discharge chamber of the HET such that some ions generated in the discharge chamber of the HET contact the downstream end of the wall of the discharge chamber.
17 more elements
A Hall-effect thruster (HET), comprising:
- an inner front pole;
- an outer front pole located radially outward from the inner front pole;
- an inner front pole cover that covers and protects the inner front pole;
- and
- an outer front pole cover that covers and protects the outer front pole, wherein
- an end of the inner front pole cover, an end of the outer front pole cover, or both, are substantially coplanar with an exit plane of a discharge chamber of the HET in a downstream direction with respect to an emission of ions from the HET;
- and
- a cathode keeper orifice plate comprising an orifice, wherein
- the inner front pole cover comprises an orifice, and
- the orifice of the inner front pole cover is at least a size equal to the orifice of the cathode keeper orifice plate, but smaller than an outside diameter of the cathode keeper orifice plate.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.