Development of High-Power Hall Thruster Power Processing Units at NASA GRC (original) (raw)
Related papers
Direct Drive Hall Thruster System Development
39th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, 2003
The sta:us of development of a Direct Drive Ha!! Thruster System is presented. 13 the first part. a s:udy of the impacts to spacecraft systems and mass benefits of a direct-drive architecture is reviewed. The study initially examines four cases of SPT-100 and BPT-4000 Hall thrusters used for north-south station keeping on an EXPRESS-like geosynchronous spacecraft and for primary propulsion for a Deep Space-1 based science spacecraft. The study is also extended the impact of direct drive on orbit raising for higher power geosynchronous spacecraft and on other deep space missions as a function of power and delta velocity. The major system considerations for accommodating a direct drive Hall thruster are discussed, including array regulation, system grounding, distribution of power to the spacecraft bus, and interactions between current-voltage characteristics for the arrays and thrusters. The mass benefit analysis shows that, for the initial cases, up to 42 kg of dry mass savings is attributable directly to changes in the propulsion hardware. When projected mass impacts of operating the arrays and the electric power system at 300V are included, up to 63 kg is saved for the four initial cases. Adoption of high voltage lithium ion battery technology is projected to further improve these savings. Orbit raising of higher powered geosynchronous spacecraft, is the mission for which direct drive provides the most benefit, allowing higher efficiency electric orbit raising to be accomplished in a limited period of time, as well as nearly eliminating significant power processing heat rejection mass. The total increase in useful payload to orbit ranges up to 278 kg for a 25 kW spacecraft, launched from an Atlas IIA. For deep space missions, direct drive is found to be most applicable to higher power missions with delta velocities up to several k d s , typical of several Discovery-class missions. In the second part, the status of development of direct drive propulsion power electronics is presented. The core of this hardware is the heater-keeper-magnet supply being qualified for the BPT-4000 by Aerojet. A breadboard propulsion power unit is in fabrication and is scheduled for delivery late in 2003. * Sr. Principal Dcvclopment Engineer, Senior Mcmbcr +Sr Managcr, Business Dcvclopmcnt, Separatist 'Program Managcr
An EcosimPro Model of a Power Processing Unit for a Low Power Hall Effect Thruster
CIRA has recently launched the IMP-EP project, aiming at improving the design, diagnostics and testing capabilities on Electric Propulsion issues. In particular, the Hall Effect thruster technology has been chosen and an engine, belonging to 250W-class is currently under development. In this view, preliminary studies on the Power Processing Unit have been started. This paper describes a simplified model of a Power Processing Unit, for a Hall Effect Thruster, implemented in the EcosimPro modelling environment. The model concerns the power converters of the three channels for the thruster operation, along with their respective control systems as well as their proper modulators. The model has been tested by attaching it to a steady state representation of the thruster, to reproduce proper power consumption for each selected condition.
A three-year program to develop a Direct Drive Hall-Effect Thruster system (D2HET) begun in 2001 as part of the NASA Advanced Cross-Enterprise Technology Development initiative. The system, which is expected to reduce significantly the power processing, complexity, weight, and cost over conventional low-voltage systems, will employ solar arrays that operate at voltages higher than (or equal to) 300 V. The lessons learned from the development of the technology also promise to become a stepping-stone for the production of the next generation of power systems employing high voltage solar arrays. This paper summarizes the results from experiments conducted mainly at the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center with two main solar array technologies. The experiments focused on electron collection and arcing studies, when the solar cells operated at high voltages. The tests utilized small coupons representative of each solar array technology. A hollow cathode was used to emulate parts of the indu...
13kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System Power Processing Unit Development
2019
Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) can enable missions that are otherwise not feasible, especially missions with a large total impulse requirement [1], [2]. Key to the function of any SEP system is the conversion of power from the spacecraft’s unregulated DC bus voltage to the currents and voltages required to reliably start and operate the thruster. NASA has identified the 10 to 15kW class Hall thruster system as necessary for human exploration missions in the coming years [3], [4]. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s 13kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) program will provide the propulsion to make deep space missions affordable and sustainable with the first application on the Power Prolusion Element of the Lunar Orbiting Platform Gateway [5]. AEPS provides NASA with a high-power, high-specific impulse, and highly-throttleable Electric Propulsion (EP) string for deep space transport vehicles. The Development of AEPS PPU has addressed many new requirements, which enable Solar Electric Prop...
34th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, 1998
A new type of Hall current thruster (patent pending) has been developed in the U.S. which has both high performance (60%) and an long Hie capability. A flight prototype was designed for low cost and ease of manufacturing, built, and tested successfully. Rapid development of this design was enabled by closely coordinated, parallel efforts in research, engineering, and testing at multiple sites in the U.S. Innovations in the thruster lead to improved plume properties, and reduced insulator erosion rates such that no magnet pole erosion is expected during the design life of 6000 hours. Accelerated wear testing is underway and results at the halfway mark are consistent with insulator wear patterns for very long life.
Eight Kilowatt Hall Thruster System Characterization
2013
: A nominal 8-kW Hall thruster system was developed for high power spacecraft applications. This thruster is supported by a 1.3 cm hollow cathode. Performance was measured directly at conditions representative of the space environment, bringing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to 5. At nominal conditions, the thruster delivers half a Newton of thrust at 8-kW with a specific impulse of greater 1900 s. Deep throttling capabilities were demonstrated. Performance and throttling curves are presented. Data were taken with xenon, krypton, and iodine. Details of the thruster and system components are also presented.
Design and simulation of a 5 kW Hall Thruster direct drive experiment
In this Thesis an overview on the state of the art of direct drive architecture for Hall Effect Thrusters (D2HET) is given. Direct and indirect advantages are examined in relation with different kinds of missions, and two parameters, related to thruster duty cycle and thruster power fraction, are defined in order to assess a qualitative estimate. As an experimental campaign is to be conducted on a 5 kW Hall Thruster in high thrust and high I sp regimes, a setup for the experiment is proposed and the D2HET system has been simulated in first approximation to assess its behaviour. A photovoltaic plant has been designed in accordance with the experiment requirements, and a code has been developed to define the final architecture. The simulation has been functional to the definition of the critical components used in the filter.
Evaluation of a 4.5 kW Commercial Hall Thruster System for NASA Science Missions
42nd AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, 2006
The readiness of commercial Hall thruster technology is evaluated for near-term use on competitively-award, cost-capped science missions like the NASA Discovery program. Scientists on these programs continue to place higher demands on mission performance that must trade against the cost and performance of propulsion system options. Solar electric propulsion (SEP) systems can provide enabling or enhancing capabilities to several missions, but the widespread and routine use of SEP will only be realized through aggressive cost and schedule risk reduction efforts. Significant cost and schedule risk reductions can potentially be realized with systems based on commercial Hall thruster technology. The abundance of commercial suppliers in the United States and abroad provides a sustainable base from which Hall thruster systems can be cost-effectively obtained through procurements from existing product lines. A Hall thruster propulsion system standard architecture for NASA science missions is proposed. The BPT-4000 from Aerojet is identified as a candidate for near-term use. Differences in qualification requirements between commercial and science missions are identified and a plan is presented for a low-cost, low-risk delta qualification effort. Mission analysis for Discovery-class reference missions are discussed comparing the relative cost and performance benefits of a BPT-4000 based system to an NSTAR ion thruster based system. The BPT-4000 system seems best suited to destinations located relatively close to the sun, inside approximately 2 AU. On a reference near Earth asteroid sample return mission, the BPT-4000 offers mass performance competitive with or superior to NSTAR at much lower cost. Additionally, it is found that a low-cost, mid-power commercial Hall thruster system may be a viable alternative to aerobraking for some missions.
Hall Thruster Development for Japanese Space Propulsion Programs
TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, 2017
Three different types of high power Hall thrusters-anode layer type, magnetic layer type with high specific impulse, and magnetic layer type with dual mode operation (high thrust mode and high specific impulse mode)-have been developed, and the thrust performance of each thruster has been evaluated. The thrust of the anode layer type thruster is in the range of 19-219 mN, with power in the range of 325-4500 W. The thrust of the high specific impulse magnetic layer type thruster was 102 mN, with specific impulse of 3300 s. The thrust of the bimodal operation magnetic layer thruster was 385 mN with specific impulse of 1200 s, and 300 mN with specific impulse of 2330 s. The performance of these thrusters demonstrates that the Japanese electric propulsion community has the capability to develop a thruster for commercial use.
Preliminary evaluation of a 10 kW Hall thruster
37th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 1999
A I0 kW Hall thruster was characterized over a range of discharge voltages from 300-500 V and a range of discharge currents from 15-23 A. This corresponds to power levels from a low of 4.6 kW to a high of 10.7 kW. Over this range of discharge powers, thrust varied from 278 mN to 524 raN, specific impulse ranged from 1644 to 2392 seconds, and efficiency peaked at approximately 59%. A continuous 40 hour test was also undertaken in an attempt to gain insight with regard to long term operation of the engine. For this portion of the testing the thruster was operated at a discharge voltage of 500 V and a discharge current of 20 A. Steady-state temperatures were achieved after 3-5 hrs and very little variation in performance was detected. 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18, SECURITY CLASSIFICATION