Magnetic circuit for hall effect plasma accelerator

US7624566B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventors

• David H. Manzella · Cleveland, US
• David T. Jacobson · San Jose, US
• Robert S. Jankovsky · Brunswick, US
• Richard R. Hofer · Monrovia, US
• Peter Peterson · Waterbury, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 18, 2005
• Grant date: Dec 1, 2009
• Expiry date: Sep 25, 2026

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F03H1/0075
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A Hall effect plasma accelerator includes inner and outer electromagnets, circumferentially surrounding the inner electromagnet along a thruster centerline axis and separated therefrom, inner and outer magnetic conductors, in physical connection with their respective inner and outer electromagnets, with the inner magnetic conductor having a mostly circular shape and the outer magnetic conductor having a mostly annular shape, a discharge chamber, located between the inner and outer magnetic conductors, a magnetically conducting back plate, in magnetic contact with the inner and outer magnetic conductors, and a combined anode electrode/gaseous propellant distributor, located at a bottom portion of the discharge chamber. The inner and outer electromagnets, the inner and outer magnetic conductors and the magnetically conducting back plate form a magnetic circuit that produces a magnetic field that is largely axial and radially symmetric with respect to the thruster centerline.