<p>Recent in-orbit demonstrations have confirmed the feasibility of iodine as an alternative propellant for electric propulsion systems. Its low cost, high storage density, and comparatively easy handling contribute to its growing adoption. However, several challenges still remain for all-iodine propulsion systems, particularly with regards to electron-emitting neutralizers. Traditional hollow cathodes use components and materials that function well with xenon but which are not compatible with iodine due to its reactivity, and which can lead to severe corrosion/erosion. Iodine also exhibits more complex plasma chemistry processes leading to the formation of negative ions at higher pressures, which can affect electron extraction and overall neutralizer performance. Radio-Frequency (RF) neutralizers address these issues by operating at lower pressures, eliminating immersed insert materials, and by extracting a net electron current through an orifice. This reduces erosion and simplifies material compatibility. This work presents a parametric study of an iodine-fueled RF neutralizer using a volume-averaged model including a comprehensive iodine plasma chemistry set. The study examines the impact of various geometric dimensions, including the orifice radius and ion collector area, as well as operating conditions such as the RF power and iodine mass flow rate. Performance is evaluated using the electron extraction cost and gas utilization factor which help guide the selection of geometric dimensions and operating parameters while maintaining high extracted electron currents. The analysis also identifies a practical maximum electron extraction threshold and provides recommendations for operating with a small safety margin near this limit to preserve stability, efficiency, and hardware longevity.</p>

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Parametric study of an iodine radio-frequency neutralizer: design optimization and operating characteristics

  • Rawoof Shaik,
  • David Petty,
  • George Bowden,
  • Trevor Lafleur

摘要

Recent in-orbit demonstrations have confirmed the feasibility of iodine as an alternative propellant for electric propulsion systems. Its low cost, high storage density, and comparatively easy handling contribute to its growing adoption. However, several challenges still remain for all-iodine propulsion systems, particularly with regards to electron-emitting neutralizers. Traditional hollow cathodes use components and materials that function well with xenon but which are not compatible with iodine due to its reactivity, and which can lead to severe corrosion/erosion. Iodine also exhibits more complex plasma chemistry processes leading to the formation of negative ions at higher pressures, which can affect electron extraction and overall neutralizer performance. Radio-Frequency (RF) neutralizers address these issues by operating at lower pressures, eliminating immersed insert materials, and by extracting a net electron current through an orifice. This reduces erosion and simplifies material compatibility. This work presents a parametric study of an iodine-fueled RF neutralizer using a volume-averaged model including a comprehensive iodine plasma chemistry set. The study examines the impact of various geometric dimensions, including the orifice radius and ion collector area, as well as operating conditions such as the RF power and iodine mass flow rate. Performance is evaluated using the electron extraction cost and gas utilization factor which help guide the selection of geometric dimensions and operating parameters while maintaining high extracted electron currents. The analysis also identifies a practical maximum electron extraction threshold and provides recommendations for operating with a small safety margin near this limit to preserve stability, efficiency, and hardware longevity.