Review of SPT and TAL type Hall thrusters’ performance and operation through database analysis

Hall effect thrusters are widely adopted as advanced electric spacecraft propulsion systems and play a crucial role in satellite operation today. The analysis of the collated performance data along with thruster dimensions provides insight into the overall trends and characteristics of Hall thrusters over the past four decades.

 

In this study, we compare two prominent variants of Hall thrusters: the stationary plasma thrusters (SPT),  and the thruster with anode layer (TAL). We utilize a comprehensive database of >1800 data points for approximately 50 Hall thrusters from published data to discuss the operation and geometry of these two variants.

 

The analysis of the database allows for a detailed exploration of these design differences. Our goal is to facilitate discussion and research on the influence of thruster type and geometry on performance. In addition, TAL variants are also investigated in comparison to SPT to better understand how the underlying operation of these thrusters vary.

In conclusion, the database analysis of SPT and TAL variant Hall thrusters provides valuable insights into their operation and enhances our understanding of their performance and design characteristics. This analysis enables a deeper exploration into how thruster variants, geometry, propellant, channel dimensions and propellant flow rates effect performance which will have significant impact in future scaling considerations for Hall thrusters.