Numerical Simulations of a Low-Power Cylindrical Hall Thruster Under Development at the University of Brasilia
Numerical Simulations of a Low-Power Cylindrical Hall Thruster Under Development at the University of Brasilia
Keywords:
Cylindrical Hall, Numerical Simulation, Low Power, Thruster.Abstract
The cylindrical Hall thruster (CHT) is an electric propulsion system proposed for nanosatellites (e.g., CubeSats) due to its efficiency, structural simplicity and compact size. Unlike conventional Hall thrusters with annular geometry, the CHT has a cylindrical configuration that can reduce wall erosion and facilitate miniaturization. We perform numerical simulations of a CHT operating at low power, focusing on voltage ranges between 50 V and 150 V at the anode. This operating range is particularly important for small satellites, which are subject to strict power consumption limitations. The methodology applied in this work involves the use of two open source software tools: Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM), which is used to model the magnetic field of the thruster, and the Hall Ion Source Simulator (HALLIS), which simulates the behavior of the plasma using a hybrid model, which means that electrons are treated as a fluid, while ions and neutral atoms are modeled as individual particles.
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