Scholarlink

<p>This work presents a first version of a novel modeling framework for the design of helicon plasma thrusters, consisting of two hierarchical levels: preliminary and detailed design models. The preliminary design is achieved through a fast global model of the thruster, whose goal is to compute a first-guess of the main operational conditions of the thruster, starting from its geometry and main control parameters. These operational conditions are the required inputs for the detailed design models, consisting of dedicated simulations of both the electrostatic plasma acceleration within the magnetic nozzle and the electromagnetic plasma-wave interaction within the ionization chamber and the near plume. Plasma transport within the nozzle is simulated with an electrostatic particle-in-cell code, which allows to estimate more precisely the achieved thruster performance, confirming the performance predictions of the global thruster model, with a relative error of approx. 10%. Plasma-wave modeling, on the other hand, is achieved with a finite element electromagnetic code, which confirms the technical feasibility of the identified operational RF power with a predefined chamber geometry. The analyses are carried out for a sub-optimal thruster featuring an absorbed plasma power of around 1 kW, a thrust of approx. 17 mN and a specific impulse in the range 1100-1200 s. The built simulation framework will serve as the basis for the next optimization of the thruster geometry and operational conditions, with the ultimate goal of building and testing a new helicon thruster prototype.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

A novel simulation framework for Helicon plasma thrusters design

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月25日

查看全文
  • Daniele Iannarelli,
  • Filippo Cichocki,
  • Francesco Napoli,
  • Antonella Ingenito,
  • Simone Mannori,
  • Antonella De Ninno,
  • Carmine Castaldo,
  • Alessandro Cardinali,
  • Francesco Taccogna

摘要

This work presents a first version of a novel modeling framework for the design of helicon plasma thrusters, consisting of two hierarchical levels: preliminary and detailed design models. The preliminary design is achieved through a fast global model of the thruster, whose goal is to compute a first-guess of the main operational conditions of the thruster, starting from its geometry and main control parameters. These operational conditions are the required inputs for the detailed design models, consisting of dedicated simulations of both the electrostatic plasma acceleration within the magnetic nozzle and the electromagnetic plasma-wave interaction within the ionization chamber and the near plume. Plasma transport within the nozzle is simulated with an electrostatic particle-in-cell code, which allows to estimate more precisely the achieved thruster performance, confirming the performance predictions of the global thruster model, with a relative error of approx. 10%. Plasma-wave modeling, on the other hand, is achieved with a finite element electromagnetic code, which confirms the technical feasibility of the identified operational RF power with a predefined chamber geometry. The analyses are carried out for a sub-optimal thruster featuring an absorbed plasma power of around 1 kW, a thrust of approx. 17 mN and a specific impulse in the range 1100-1200 s. The built simulation framework will serve as the basis for the next optimization of the thruster geometry and operational conditions, with the ultimate goal of building and testing a new helicon thruster prototype.