An advanced electric propulsion diagnostic (AEPD) platform for in-situ characterization of electric propulsion thrusters and ion beam sources

Bundesmann, Carsten; Eichhorn, Christoph; Scholze, Frank; Spemann, D.; Neumann, H.; Pagano, D.; Scaranzin, S.; Scortecci, Fabrizio; Leiter, Hans; Gauter, Sven; Wiese, Ruben; Kersten, Holger; Holste, K.; Köhler, Peter; Klar, Peter J.; Mazouffre, S.; Blott, Richard; Bulit, Alexandra; Dannenmayer, Käthe

doi:10.1140/epjd/e2016-70236-0

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Calculations are based on the following parameters: The camera has a sensor size of 7.04 mm × 5.28 mm with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pix- The experimental data were evaluated using two test structures: an eyepiece graticule for measuring the FOV and a laser-scribed line structure for characterizing the lateral resolution. Test structures and test procedures are described elsewhere [2]. There is a very good agreement between experimental and calculated data.…”

Section: • Extension Tube Length Lmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…It is equipped with two hollow cathodes. The thruster was operated for about 300 hours at different power levels ranging from 1350 W to 1950 W. There are also selected data available for a miniaturized gridded ion thruster RIT-μX (ArianeGroup, [2,16]).…”

Section: Vacuum Test Facility and Test Objectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In situ erosion measurements of different EP thrusters were reported using a triangular laser head (TLH, [1,2]) or telemicroscopes [1][2][3][4]. Yuan et al reported on the use of a telemicroscope for measuring in situ the grid deformation of a gridded ion thruster by videometrics [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, we were reporting on the advanced electric propulsion diagnostic (AEPD) platform [1,2,7], which consists of a modular, high-precision, five-axis positioning system and several diagnostic tools for ion beam and plasma characterization (Faraday probe, retarding potential analyzer, ExB probe, and active thermal probe), optical inspection (TLH, telemicroscope), and thermal characterization (pyrometer, thermocamera). All measurements can be done in situ, if needed all of them with a firing thruster.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ erosion measurement tools for electric propulsion thrusters: triangular laser head and telemicroscope

et al. 2022

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The lifetime of electric propulsion (EP) thrusters depends particularly on the erosion characteristics of operation relevant components, for instance, the grid hole erosion of gridded ion thrusters or the channel wall erosion of Hall effect thrusters. Here two tools for in situ erosion measurements are presented, a triangular laser head for surface profiling and a telemicroscope for high-resolution optical imaging. Both can give access to radial and axial erosion parameters. The measurements can be done in situ without the need for breaking the vacuum and dismounting the thruster, which reduces thruster testing time considerably. In situ measurements can also help to ensure reproducibility of thruster performance conditions and can improve statistics of thruster characterization. The present work describes the fundamentals of both techniques in detail, selected experimental setups are presented, their performance is characterized and critically evaluated. The capabilities and limitations related to erosion measurements of EP thrusters are, exemplary, demonstrated for a gridded ion thruster RIT-22 and a Hall effect thruster SPT-100D.

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Section: • Extension Tube Length Lmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Vacuum Test Facility and Test Objectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ erosion measurement tools for electric propulsion thrusters: triangular laser head and telemicroscope

et al. 2022

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“…The grid deformation can be calculated from the temperature data. Bundesmann [15,16] designed an in situ electric propulsion diagnostic system in which a pyrometer was used to successfully measure the overall temperature of the grid surface. The temperature field on the grid surface was measured at 4 kW power of the RIT-22 thruster.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grid Deformation Real-Time Measurement System of Ion Thruster Based on Videometrics

et al. 2019

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In order to conduct high-precision measurement of the LIPS-300 ion thruster grid deformation in a vacuum, high-temperature, and plasma environment, a noncontact videometrics system using a telemicroscope was designed. Based on the captured image, the interactive partitioning edge detection method (IPEDM) was used to obtain stable and clear edges of multiple circular cooperative targets. Meanwhile, magnification factor calibration, rotation angle correction, and subpixel-level grid deformation measurement were performed with cooperative targets. The measurement results show that under the power of 750 W in the discharge chamber, the maximum thermal deformation of the screen grid is 1120 μm, and the gap between the screen grid and the accelerator grid is reduced by 420 μm. An accuracy assessment of the system shows that the grid deformation measurement accuracy is better than 12 μm, and the system satisfies the requirement of high-precision real-time measurements of the grid thermal deformation of the ion thruster under the discharge-chamber-running condition and the plasma-beam-extraction condition.

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Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy for kinetic temperature measurement of xenon neutrals and ions in the discharge chamber of a radiofrequency ion source

et al. 2023

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Application of single-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy for non-intrusive measurement of neutral xenon and singly charged xenon ion kinetic temperatures in the discharge chamber of a gridded radiofrequency ion source is demonstrated. A LIF spectrum analysis approach including hyperfine structure reconstruction and inverse filtering (Fourier deconvolution) is outlined. Special focus is set on optimization of post-deconvolution filtering as well as retracing of deconvolution result imperfection due to hyperfine structure parameter uncertainty, incorrect natural linewidth, and saturation of the LIF signal. The corresponding contributions to the kinetic temperature estimation error are quantified via simulation of spectral lineshapes. Deconvolution of almost unsaturated LIF spectra recorded in the center of the ion source discharge chamber reveals that the neutral xenon and xenon ion kinetic temperatures range between approximately 500 and 700 K and, respectively, 700 and 1000 K depending on the radiofrequency power supplied to the discharge.

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An advanced electric propulsion diagnostic (AEPD) platform for in-situ characterization of electric propulsion thrusters and ion beam sources

Cited by 14 publications

References 11 publications

In situ erosion measurement tools for electric propulsion thrusters: triangular laser head and telemicroscope

In situ erosion measurement tools for electric propulsion thrusters: triangular laser head and telemicroscope

Grid Deformation Real-Time Measurement System of Ion Thruster Based on Videometrics

Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy for kinetic temperature measurement of xenon neutrals and ions in the discharge chamber of a radiofrequency ion source

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