Experimental Performance Characterization of a Two-Hundred-Watt Quad Confinement Thruster

Thrust characterization experiments were carried out on a 200 W quad confinement thruster operating on xenon propellant. The thrust was measured using an inverted pendulum-type thrust stand. The anode power, propellant flow rate, and magnetic field were systematically varied in order to understand the impact of each parameter on the performance, which was characterized in terms of specific impulse, thrust, and thrust efficiency. At 200 W of anode power, the specific impulse of the device reached a maximum value of 860 s, and the thrust reached 3.2 mN. The thrust efficiency was modest, and it reached a maximum value of 4.6%. However, the thrust efficiency was found to depend strongly on the strength of the magnetic field. The quad confinement thruster device investigated in this study was limited to a maximum magnetic field of 250 G. Further improvements to the device can likely be achieved by applying much stronger magnetic fields.