Satellite Propulsion
Plasma Chambers for Hall Effect Thrusters
A Hall Effect thruster combines an electric field with a magnetic field to ionize a gas flow (typically Xenon) to generate plasma. The electric field inside an annular channel accelerates the ions in the plasma to very high exhaust velocities.
For the plasma chamber in a Hall Effect thruster to work, an advanced ceramic is required that can withstand the high temperatures from the plasma generation process, while keeping the ionization efficiency at the highest possible values. Boron nitride does just that due to its excellent resistance to sputtering as well as its secondary electron emission properties. Saint-Gobain COMBAT® grades HP, M26 and AX05 are successfully being used in this application worldwide.
Related Content
Image
