Numerical Analysis of Magnetic and Plasma Characteristics of the DC Ring Cusp Discharge Ion Thruster

Abstract

Electric propulsion systems are developed as efficient satellite propulsion systems over the years. In the electric propulsion arena, three main thruster models can be seen in worldwide space applications. They are electrothermal, electrostatic, and electromagnetic thrusters. Direct Current (DC) ring cusp discharge ion thruster is an electrostatic class ion thruster. It is also highly anticipated that ion thruster’s collective thrust in space will lead to space explorations. This study mainly focuses on the numerical analysis of the magnetic and plasma characteristics of DC ring cusp discharge ion thruster. In the numerical model, basic concepts of ion thruster were presented with magnetic and plasma characteristics, performance and heavier species characteristics, and the variation of plasma density with, node voltage, pressure, grid perforation, and the magnetic field. The magnetic characteristics of the ion thruster were modeled using two dimensional (2D) axisymmetric model with three magnetic rings. In addition, a three-dimensional (3D) revolution model is also presented to investigate the full-scale ion thruster. Also, the plasma characteristics including ion densities were analyzed using finite element numerical, 2D fluid axisymmetric model, and 3D revolution model to evaluate the ion distributions.