Kinetic models of the facility effects and beam neutralization for high-power electric propulsion systems

The development of more advanced high-power electric propulsion systems, like the Advanced Electric Propulsion System used forthe Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) in NASA’s Gateway project and the Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding, requirestesting in vacuum chamber test facilities. The testing of Hall-effect thrusters is supposed to demonstrate that the engine achieves thedesired performance and is capable of operating on the time scales required for the mission architectures. However, these vacuumchambers may not be representative of the true space conditions. The presence of these walls fundamentally changes the operationof the thruster being tested by impeding the plasma plume, resulting in particles interacting with the walls in unpredictable ways.This research seeks to investigate the effects of beam neutralization on the facility effects by means of high-fidelity kinetic simulations.It is hypothesized that as higher power thrusters are developed, electromagnetic and kinetic instabilities play a more crucial role tooperation due to the complicated hollow cathode coupling effects and as the induced magnetic fields in the plasma become larger.These plasma instabilities will be numerically examined through the development of a full facility model which is capable of capturingthe requisite electromagnetic and kinetic effects. To reconcile the vast disparity of length scales involved (millimeter to kilometer),physics-based learning algorithms like physics-informed neural networks will be employed to inform transport coefficients so that theentire test facility does not need to be resolved. The facility model developed during this project can be used to inform future testing ofthrusters, aiding in NASA’s development of electric propulsion systems.

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