Comparative study of propellant injection modes in a low power helicon thruster

Abstract

This paper investigates the performance of a low-power ambipolar thruster through the analysis of the molecular flux density resulting from two distinct propellant injection modes, namely, normal and vortex. Numerical simulation reveal that the vortex mode significantly enhances gas density within the thruster's discharge chamber, achieving a 43% increase compared to the normal mode. This improvement is attributed to the radial injection flow and increased gas residence time. The findings highlight the importance of injection configurations in optimizing thruster performance, contributing to advancements in propulsion technology for CubeSats and other miniaturized satellites.