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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Characterization of a High Current, Long Life Hollow Cathode

Characterization of a High Current, Long Life Hollow Cathode

Vannoord, Jonathan L.
Nasa Technical Reports Server (Ntrs)
Et Al

Paperback

General Political Science

Publisher Price: $14.75

ISBN10: 1287250408
ISBN13: 9781287250401
Publisher: Bibliogov
Published: Jul 29 2013
Pages: 26
Weight: 0.15
Height: 0.05 Width: 7.44 Depth: 9.69
Language: English
The advent of higher power spacecraft makes it desirable to use higher power electric propulsion thrusters such as ion thrusters or Hall thrusters. Higher power thrusters require cathodes that are capable of producing higher currents. One application of these higher power spacecraft is deep-space missions that require tens of thousands of hours of operation. This paper presents the approach used to design a high current, long life hollow cathode assembly for that application, along with test results from the corresponding hollow cathode. The design approach used for the candidate hollow cathode was to reduce the temperature gradient in the insert, yielding a lower peak temperature and allowing current to be produced more uniformly along the insert. The lower temperatures result in a hollow cathode with increased life. The hollow cathode designed was successfully operated at currents from 10 to 60 A with flow rates of 5 to 19 sccm with a maximum orifice temperature measured of 1100 C. Data including discharge voltage, keeper voltage, discharge current, flow rates, and orifice plate temperatures are presented.

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