Review of Hall Thruster Plume Modeling

Hall thrusters are an attractive form of electric propulsion that are being developed to replace chemical systems for many orbit propulsion tasks on communications satellites. A concern in the use of these devices is the possible damage their plumes may cause to the host spacecraft. The present status of computer modeling of Hall thruster plumes is reviewed in the context of being able to address spacecraft integration concerns. A simple, empirical approach is described that can be used as a quick engineering tool. However, accurate modeling of Hall thruster plumes requires use of kinetic-based simulation techniques. In particular, particle methods are discussed with respect to the physical modeling required to accurately simulate the plasma and collision processes that are signiŽ cant in Hall thruster plumes. An assessment is made of the computer models through direct comparison between simulation results and detailed experimental measurements.