37th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit · 2001 · 25 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesComputational EngineeringPhysicsGrid ComputingPlasma PhysicsPropulsionAccelerator PhysicsElectric PropulsionIon PropulsionPlasma PropulsionPlasma SimulationPlasma SourcesBeam OpticsCharge Exchange ProcessesEnergy CompensationGridded Ion ThrustersIon OpticsIon ThrustersNumerical SimulationPlasma Acceleration
A high specific impulse ion thruster operated at a voltage of 10 kV has been studied and the problems of direct ion impingement on the accelerating grid and charge-exchange ion production and impingement have been considered. These problems are addressed by considering the use of four -or more grids (many-grid system). In order to evaluate these many-grid systems, a three-dimensional particle simulation code that employs 1) an energy compensation method, 2) a simplified pre-sheath definition method and 3) high-speed coding was developed. It was confirmed that results from this simulation are obtained at a high-speed and in good agreement with experiment data. Using this code, several many-grid systems were evaluated.