Hall-effect thruster system with applied counter-torque

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024401576-A1
Application number	US-202418802838-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 13, 2024
Priority date	May 11, 2022
Publication date	Dec 5, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A Hall effect thruster system includes a thruster body and a diffuser configured to apply a torque to the thruster body during operation. The diffuser applies the torque by ejecting the propellant in a non-axial direction, such as a direction tangent to helical or curvilinear channels formed within a body of the diffuser. The applied torque can be used to counteract a swirl torque that is induced on the thruster body by the ionizing Hall current flowing in an annular channel of the thruster body. This effective counter-torque is useful in deep space applications outside the Earth's magnetic field.

First claim

1 . A Hall effect thruster system comprising a thruster body and a diffuser configured to eject ionizable propellant into an annular channel formed in the thruster body,
wherein a Hall current provided in the annular thruster channel induces a torque on the thruster body in a first rotational direction, and ejection of the propellant from the diffuser applies a counter-torque to the thruster body in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser ejects the propellant into the annular channel with a tangential velocity.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser comprises curvilinear channels that each receive some of the propellant at an inlet end and eject the propellant into the annular channel at an outlet end.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser comprises helical channels and ejects the propellant into the annular channel in directions tangent to the each of the helical channels.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser is affixed to the thruster body in the annular thruster channel and does not rotate with respect to the thruster body.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser is located in the annular thruster channel and is formed as a single continuous piece with the thruster body.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the counter-torque is applied to the thruster body without reversing a polarity of a magnetic field containing the Hall current in the annular thruster channel.

8 . A spacecraft comprising the system of claim 1 .

9 . A Hall effect thruster system comprising a thruster body and a diffuser configured to eject ionizable propellant into an annular channel formed in the thruster body in a direction that applies a torque on the thruster body.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the torque is applied to the thruster body in a rotational direction opposite a rotational direction of a torque induced on the thruster body by a Hall current in the annular thruster channel.

11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the diffuser ejects the propellant into the annular channel with a tangential velocity to apply said torque.

12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the diffuser comprises curvilinear channels that each receive some of the propellant at an inlet end and eject the propellant into the annular channel at an outlet end.

13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the diffuser comprises helical channels and ejects the propellant into the annular channel in directions tangent to the each of the helical channels to apply said torque.

14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the diffuser is affixed to the thruster body in the annular thruster channel and does not rotate with respect to the thruster body.

15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the diffuser is located in the annular thruster channel and is formed as a single continuous piece with the thruster body.

16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the counter-torque is applied to the thruster body without reversing a polarity of a magnetic field containing the Hall current in the annular thruster channel.

17 . A spacecraft comprising the system of claim 9 .

18 . A method of operating a spacecraft comprising a Hall thruster system, the method comprising ejecting an ionizable propellant into an annular thruster channel of the system in a direction that counteracts a torque induced on the thruster system by a Hall current provided in the annular channel.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the direction is a tangential direction relative to the annular channel.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the step of ejecting includes ejecting the propellant from a helical channel of a diffuser of the thruster system.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Oh Braden
• Regassa Mahderekal
• Clowes Avery
• Miner Grant
• Countryman Albert
• Cantrell Nathan
• Ewing Lucas
• Lee Christopher
• Klein Marissa

Classifications

• F03H1/0075

  with an annular channel; Hall-effect thrusters with closed electron drift · CPC title

• F03H1/0062 Primary

  grid-less with an applied magnetic field · CPC title

• B64G1/413 Primary

  Ion or plasma engines · CPC title