The effect of channel size and wall erosion on the low-frequency oscillation in Hall thruster

Hall thrusters are electric propulsion devices widely used on spacecraft. The stability of Hall thrusters is often disturbed by low-frequency oscillations (LFOs) around 5-100 kHz, known as the 'breathing mode', typically observed through fluctuations in channel discharge current and plasma parameters. Experimental studies on Hall thrusters with a wide range of sizes show that LFOs exhibit distinct characteristics depending on the channel structures. The size of the channel can modify the particle-wall interactions, electric potential distribution, and electron temperature, thereby influencing the performance of LFOs. Furthermore, the long-term operation of thrusters can cause significant wall erosion, altering the geometry of the discharge channel, which further impacts LFOs. In this work, a one-dimensional fluid model is established to explore the influences of structure sizes and wall erosion of the channel on the LFO characteristics. Both the thruster channel and the plume region are included in the model, and a modified and more precise approach to calculating the electron energy loss at the wall is proposed, which takes into account the influences of secondary electron emission and the channel cross-sectional area. The simulation results indicate that choosing a narrower or longer channel structure has a significantly suppressing effect on LFOs. An erosion model is established according to the cited experimental data to construct the eroded channel structure and to investigate the effect of channel erosion on the breathing mode, which shows that wall erosion can exacerbate LFOs and impact the performance of the thruster.