On Scaling of Hall Effect Thrusters

The field of application of Hall effect thrusters (HETs) is constantly expanding toward increased power and specific impulse and also toward reduced power. The modern level of plasma simulations does not allow accurate prediction of a thruster performance in advance. Therefore, the methods of scaling play an important role in the creation of new thrusters with desired characteristics. This paper describes a scaling model of HETs based on an analytical assessment of the anode mass utilization efficiency and the available experimental data. Empirical coefficients of the model are found using an extensive database containing published test results of many thrusters. The obtained expressions allow for predicting the performance of HETs for various kinds of propellant when the discharge power and voltage vary over a wide range.