Characterization of electrical propulsion thrusters as a load for electronic power supplies

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Characterization of electrical propulsion thrusters as a load for electronic power supplies

Gollor, Matthias / Herty, Frank

For European space missions the importance of electrical propulsion is growing strongly. Many different types of electrical thrusters have been developed in the past years. Often the specification of electrical power supplies suffers from lack of dedicated electrical measurements or misinterpretation of the load behaviour especially under dynamic conditions. As a result, the Power Supply and Control Unit might not be optimally matched to the thrusters and in worst case may react with instabilities during operation. Analyzing the different types of electric thrusters a broad variety of different load characteristics have to be taken into account: non-linear I/V curves, constant voltage and constant current equivalent loads, but except for auxiliary magnet circuits, the loads typically do not show significant inductive or capacitive components. However, the majority of the thrusters show significant load oscillations due to plasma effects, typically in a frequency range of a few ten kHz. Most thrusters are affected by spurious flashovers (sparking, beam-outs, and plasma instabilities). In order to achieve a good definition of the interface between power supplies and the EP thrusters as a load, it is recommended to perform measurements of the current-voltage curve under static and dynamic conditions already in early development phases. For thrusters with complex power supplies the possible coupling between the power sources through the plasma might be considered, too. Examples for such measurements and the transfer of the results into simple electrical models are given for an anode supply of a Kaufmann type ion thruster and a Neutralizer/Keeper supply.