Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion Ion and Hall Thrusters by Dan M. Goebel and Ira Katz

 Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion Ion and Hall Thrusters by Dan M. Goebel and Ira Katz

Contents of Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion Ion and Hall Thrusters

Chapter 1: Introduction 

Chapter 2: Thruster Principles 

Chapter 3: Basic Plasma Physics 

Chapter 4: Ion Thruster Plasma Generators 

Chapter 5: Ion Thruster Accelerator Grids 

Chapter 6: Hollow Cathodes 

Chapter 7: Hall Thrusters 

Chapter 8  Ion and Hall Thruster Plumes 

Chapter 9: Flight Ion and Hall Thrusters 

Preface of Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion Ion and Hall Thrusters 

Electric propulsion  was first envisioned  100 years ago, and throughout most of the  20th century was considered the technology of the future for spacecraft propulsion.  With literally hundreds  of electric thrusters now operating in orbit on communications  satellites,  and ion and Hall thrusters both  having  been  successfully used for primary propulsion  in deep-space scientific missions, the future for electric propulsion has arrived.

The literature contains several books from the  1960s and numerous journal articles and conference papers published over the years discussing electric thruster concepts, benefits, physics,  and  technological  developments. Much  of  this  work  has been based on empirical investigations and laboratory-based  development programs of different  thruster types. As such, the  fundamental understanding of how these thrusters work has generally lagged behind the technological  achievements and applications of electric thrusters in space. 

The quest over the past  10 years to improve often technically mature thruster performance  and  significantly  extend  thruster  life  for  applications  in  deep-space propulsion and satellite  station-keeping  requires a  much  deeper understanding of the physics of electric thrusters. The purpose of this book is to discuss and explain how modem ion and Hall thrusters work by describing the fundamental physics of these  devices.  This is  a  challenging task  requiring a  basic  knowledge of plasma 

physics,  ion accelerators,  cathodes, electrical  discharges,  high voltage, gas dynamics, and many other technologies. As such, we rely heavily on physics-based models that  are  often  greatly  simplified  compared  to  the  complex  two-dimensional  and three-dimensional  codes  required  to  accurately  predict the  plasma  dynamics  that drive thruster performance, and ultimately determine their life. Work in this field is still progressing, and we hope this book will lead to further research  and advances in our understanding  of these surprisingly complex devices.

While  this effort  encompasses a large body of literature  in the area of ion and Hall thrusters,  it is based largely on the research and development performed at the Jet Propulsion  Laboratory (JPL). Therefore, this book should not be considered an all-inclusive treatise on the subject of electric thrusters or a review of their development  history, but rather one that delves into the basics  of two of the more modern electric engines that are finding increasingly more applications, specifically ion and 

Hall thrusters,  in an attempt to provide a better understanding of their principles.