Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1688955 | Vacuum | 2010 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Numerical evaluations of grid erosions in ion engines are required to estimate the lifetimes of long-term space missions. In this study, to investigate the characteristics of ions colliding with neutrals and impacting the accel grid surface, including ions that collide with neutrals more than once, three-dimensional particle analyses using a full-PIC (Particle in Cell) code were performed. The distributions of erosion by charge-exchanged ions show periodic patterns. The multiple-collided ion constitutes 7 and 8% of the accel grid current to the inner and downstream surfaces, respectively. The energy of the multiple-collided ion impacting the downstream surface has a broader distribution than that of the charge-exchanged ion. These results suggest the importance of investigating multiple-collided ions in high-accuracy quantitative evaluations of grid erosion.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Authors
Takeshi Miyasaka, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Katsuo Asato,