Abstract: In order to improve the performance of the low power Hall thruster without changing its characteristic size, a thruster with variable cross-section channel is designed to increase the atomic density in the ionization region and enhance the propellant utilization. The results show that the new designed Hall thruster can expand the lower power limit, control the ionization process and increase the propellant utilization. The thrust, specific impulse and efficiency performance can also be improved accordingly under low-power condition. The experimental results show that the plume divergence should be optimized in the further research. 

Key words: Hall thruster； Variable cross-section channel; Low power; Ionization distribution

摘要： 在不改变霍尔推力器特征尺寸的条件下为了提高其低功率时的性能,采用缩小通道局部通流面积的方法,利用增加电离区原子密度来提高工质利用率。实验结果表明,该方法能有效拓展低功率放电范围,控制工质电离过程,增加工质利用率,并提高霍尔推力器在低功率下的推力、比冲和效率性能。羽流发散角优化是后续变截面研究中需要重点关注的问题。

关键词: 霍尔推力器;通道变截面;低功率;工质电离分布