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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Establishing criteria for the transition from kinetic to fluid modeling in hollow cathode analysis

Hollow cathodes for plasma switch applications are investigated via 2D3V particle-in-cell simulations of the channel and plume region. The kinetic nature of the plasma within the channel is dependent on the thermalization rate of electrons, emitted from the insert. When Coulomb collisions occur at a much greater rate than ionization or excitation collisions, the electron energy distribution function rapidly relaxes to a Maxwellian and the plasma within the channel can be described accurately via a fluid model. In contrast, if inelastic processes are much faster than Coulomb collisions, then the electron energy distribution function in the channel exhibits a notable high-energy tail, and a kinetic treatment is required. This criterion is applied to hollow cathodes from the literature, revealing that a fluid approach is suitable for most electric propulsion applications, whereas a kinetic treatment can be more critical to accurate modeling of plasma switches.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic thermal behavior of polycrystalline LaB 6 hollow cathodes

Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) hollow cathodes have demonstrated a capability for long life operation, which is critical to many space exploration missions. Thermal characterization of LaB6 hollow cathodes has revealed lower than expected electron emitter temperatures when the cathode reaches a steady state. This phenomenon is observed at discharge currents ranging from 5 to 35 A and xenon mass flow rates of 5–25 SCCM in cathodes with three different orifice diameters. Thus, the currently accepted value of the work function for polycrystalline LaB 6 , 2.67 eV, does not describe well the emission characteristics of LaB6 hollow cathodes operating with internal gas discharges at a steady state. We use empirically measured temperatures combined with a model of the hollow cathode emitter and xenon discharge to estimate the value of the work function, yielding a value ranging from 2.1 to 2.44 eV. This lower work function value implies that LaB6 hollow cathodes are expected to have even longer lifetimes than previously anticipated, further establishing them as a more suited alternative to other conventional cathode technologies for the task of long duration travel. Direct measurements of the work function as a function of depth on a hollow cathode emitter using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ion beam milling indicate that the work function decreases with depth. We postulate several mechanisms that could explain the observed work function enhancement. Altogether, our results have important implications to the design, study approach, and operation of LaB 6 cathodes and potentially other cathodes with hollow configuration. Finally, our work opens the question of why the work function is reduced upon interaction with Xe plasma.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effect of cathode geometry on barium transport in hollow cathode plasmas

The effect of barium transport on the operation of dispenser hollow cathodes was investigated in numerical modeling of a cathode with two different orifice sizes. Despite large differences in cathode emitter temperature, emitted electron current density, internal xenon neutral and plasma densities, and size of the plasma-surface interaction region, the barium transport in the two geometries is qualitatively very similar. Barium is produced in the insert and flows to the surface through the porous structure. A buildup of neutral Ba pressure in the plasma over the emitter surface can suppress the reactions supplying the Ba, restricting the net production rate. Neutral Ba flows into the dense Xe plasma and has a high probability of being ionized at the periphery of this zone. The steady state neutral Ba density distribution is determined by a balance between pressure gradient forces and the drag force associated with collisions between neutral Ba and neutral Xe atoms. A small fraction of the neutral Ba is lost upstream. The majority of the neutral Ba is ionized in the high temperature Xe plasma and is pushed back to the emitter surface by the electric field. The steady state Ba{sup +} ion density distribution results from a balance between electrostatic and pressure forces, neutral Xe drag and Xe{sup +} ion drag with the dominant forces dependent on location in the discharge. These results indicate that hollow cathodes are very effective at recycling Ba within the discharge and therefore maintain a high coverage of Ba on the emitter surface, which reduces the work function and sustains high electron emission current densities at moderate temperatures. Barium recycling is more effective in the cathode with the smaller orifice because the Ba is ionized in the dense Xe plasma concentrated just upstream of the orifice and pushed back into the hollow cathode. Despite a lower emitter temperature, the large orifice cathode has a higher Ba loss rate through the orifice because the Xe plasma density peaks further upstream.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Barium depletion in hollow cathode emitters

Dispenser hollow cathodes rely on a consumable supply of Ba released by BaO-CaO-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} source material in the pores of a tungsten matrix to maintain a low work function surface. The examination of cathode emitters from long duration tests shows deposits of tungsten at the downstream end that appear to block the flow of Ba from the interior. In addition, a numerical model of Ba transport in the cathode plasma indicates that the Ba partial pressure in the insert may exceed the equilibrium vapor pressure of the dominant Ba-producing reaction, and it was postulated previously that this would suppress Ba loss in the upstream part of the emitter. New measurements of the Ba depletion depth from a cathode insert operated for 8200 h reveal that Ba loss is confined to a narrow region near the downstream end, confirming this hypothesis. The Ba transport model was modified to predict the depletion depth with time. A comparison of the calculated and measured depletion depths gives excellent qualitative agreement, and quantitative agreement was obtained assuming an insert temperature 70 °C lower than measured beginning-of-life values.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ignition and extinction phenomena in helium micro hollow cathode discharges

Micro hollow cathode discharges (MHCD) were produced using 250 μm thick dielectric layer of alumina sandwiched between two nickel electrodes of 8 μm thickness. A through cavity at the center of the chip was formed by laser drilling technique. MHCD with a diameter of few hundreds of micrometers allowed us to generate direct current discharges in helium at up to atmospheric pressure. A slowly varying ramped voltage generator was used to study the ignition and the extinction periods of the microdischarges. The analysis was performed by using electrical characterisation of the V-I behaviour and the measurement of He*({sup 3}S{sub 1}) metastable atoms density by tunable diode laser spectroscopy. At the ignition of the microdischarges, 2 μs long current peak as high as 24 mA was observed, sometimes followed by low amplitude damped oscillations. At helium pressure above 400 Torr, an oscillatory behaviour of the discharge current was observed just before the extinction of the microdischarges. The same type of instability in the extinction period at high pressure also appeared on the density of He*({sup 3}S{sub 1}) metastable atoms, but delayed by a few μs relative to the current oscillations. Metastable atoms thus cannot be at the origin of the generation of the observed instabilities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Pressure effect on a tandem hollow cathode discharge in argon

The tandem hollow cathode discharge, formulated by arranging two discharges in series, is an important method used to increase the irradiance of a hollow cathode discharge. Here in this paper, based on a two-dimensional fluid model we studied a five-layer tandem hollow cathode discharge, with three hollow electrodes stacked together and separated by the insulators to obtain the configuration of anode/insulator/cathode/insulator/anode from the top to the bottom. In the model, the thickness of both electrodes and insulators is set at 1 cm and the diameter of the hollow cavity is 2 cm. The pressure effect on the discharge properties is investigated with gas pressure ranges from 100 Pa to 5 kPa. The gap voltage first decreases, reaching a minimum sustaining voltage at 1 kPa, and then increases. Based on the two-dimensional electron density distributions, the discharges parameters (including the electron density, ion density, electric potential, and electric field) of one integrated hollow cathode discharge at 1 kPa and two relatively independent discharges at 100 Pa and 4 kPa are presented, respectively. Lastly, the results indicate that the paralleled hollow cathode discharges can be manipulated into one integrated discharge with a higher plasma density by the monotonous control of gas pressure.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Instability of plasma plume of micro-hollow cathode discharge

The micro-hollow cathode gas discharge driven by thermionic emission is studied using the two-dimensional particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collisions simulation. The electron current is extracted from the plasma plume penetrating into the keeper–anode space through a small keeper orifice from the cathode-keeper space. The results of simulations and a simplified analytical model showed that the plasma density and extracted current can exhibit deep modulation in the range of frequencies of tens of MHz. This modulation appears when the space-charge limited current between the plume boundary and the anode exceeds the plasma thermal electron current through the orifice.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Influence of metastable atoms in the simulation of hollow cathode discharge

The characteristics of hollow cathode discharge are investigated by using two-dimensional fluid model combined with a transport model for metastable atoms (F-M model) in argon. It shows that the stepwise ionization is one of main important mechanism for electrons production. The distribution of electric potential, density of electrons, ions, and metastable atoms are calculated with a pressure of 10 Torr and a voltage of 250 V. The peak density of electron and ion is 1.2×10{sup 13} cm{sup −3}, and the peak density of metastable atoms is 3.5×10{sup 13} cm{sup −3}. The results obtained in F-M model are compared with that in fluid model (without metastable atoms involved). Metastable atoms are found to play an important role in the discharge. In addition, with the increase of pressure and voltage, the percentage of stepwise ionization in the total ionization increase, and the difference of discharge characteristics simulated by these two kinds of models rises.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterization of hollow cathode plasma turbulence using coherent Thomson scattering

Turbulence in hollow cathodes used for space propulsion is believed to play an important role in anomalous electron transport and ion heating. In this work, the implementation of coherent Thomson scattering to identify and characterize MHz-frequency ion acoustic turbulence and kHz-frequency oscillations in the plume of a hollow cathode is achieved. In the presence of a background magnetic field of a Hall thruster, a number of unstable modes are observed. A directive ion acoustic mode propagating predominantly within a restricted angle around the magnetic field is found, exhibiting an energy scaling with wavenumber k of the form k -5.2±0.58 , which differs from the classic Kadomtsev k -3 scaling for unmagnetized conditions. Bi-directional ion acoustic mode fluctuations propagating over a range of angles with respect to the magnetic field have been measured, possibly signifying the existence of a large-amplitude plasma wave, similar to the Buneman instability. Finally, electron density fluctuations in the kHz-frequency range, a possible consequence of drift-driven instabilities in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field, have also been identified. Furthermore, these results not only are an indication of the diversity of wave types that exist in hollow cathode plumes but also point to the key role played by the presence of, and the configuration of, the magnetic field in their appearance.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Criteria of radio-frequency ring-shaped hollow cathode discharge using H{sub 2} and Ar gases for plasma processing

In order to achieve high-density capacitively coupled plasma, a radio-frequency (RF) ring-shaped hollow cathode discharge has been developed as a candidate for processing plasma sources. The plasma density in the hollow cathode discharge reaches a high magnitude of 10{sup 10}-10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}. The RF ring-shaped hollow cathode discharge depends on the pressure and mass of the working gas. Criteria required for producing a RF ring-shaped hollow cathode discharge have been investigated for various gas pressures using H{sub 2} and Ar gases for high-density plasma production. The results reveal that the criteria for the occurrence of the hollow cathode effect are that the trench width should be approximately equal to the sum of the electron-neutral mean free paths and twice the sheath thickness of the RF powered electrode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Numerical simulation of the sustaining discharge in radio frequency hollow cathode discharge in argon

In this paper, a two-dimensional fluid model was developed to study the radio frequency (RF) hollow cathode discharge (HCD) in argon at 1 Torr. The evolutions of the particle density distribution and the ionization rate distribution in RF HCD at 13.56 MHz indicate that the discharge mainly occurs inside the hollow cathode. The spatio-temporal distributions of the ionization rate and the power deposition within the hollow cathode imply that sheath oscillation heating is the primary mechanism to sustain the RF HCD, whereas secondary electron emission plays a negligible role. However, as driving frequency decreases, secondary electron heating becomes a dominant mechanism to sustain the discharge in RF hollow cathode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Transition characteristics of low-pressure discharges in a hollow cathode

Based on a two-dimensional (2-D) fluid model, the transition processes of discharges in a hollow cathode at low pressure are observed by changing three parameters, i.e., applied voltage U 0 , gas pressure p, and external circuit ballast resistance R b . The voltage-current characteristic curves, electron density distributions, and electric potential distributions of different discharge operating points in a hollow cathode are obtained. The transition processes are characterized by the voltage-current characteristic curves, the electron density distributions, and the electrical potential distributions. The transition modes observed from the voltage-current characteristics include the low-current abnormal mode, normal mode, and high-current abnormal mode. Increasing the applied voltage U0 can have a similar effect on the discharge transition processes to decreasing the ballast resistance. By increasing U0 from 200V to 500V and decreasing Rb from 5000 kX to 100 kX independently, it is observed that the discharge transfers from the outside to the inside of the hollow cavity, thus forming the virtual anode potential. By increasing the gas pressure p from 50 Pa to 5 kPa, the discharge also moves into the hollow cavity from the outside; however, a further increase in the gas pressure leads to the discharge escaping from the hollow cavity. Simulation results and characterizations for different parameters are presented for the transition properties of low-pressure discharges in a hollow cathode. It is verified that the hollow cathode discharge only exists under certain ranges of the above parameters.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spatio-temporal characteristics of self-pulse in hollow cathode discharge

The characteristics of self-pulse in hollow cathode discharge at low pressure have been investigated. The voltage-current (V-I) curves, the influence of ballast resistor on the self-pulses, and the evolution of current and voltage are measured. Both the axial and radial spatio-temporal discharge images of self-pulse are recorded. The results show that there exists the hysteresis effect in the present hollow cathode discharge. The high value of ballast resistors is favourable for the observation of self-pulses. The process of the self-pulse can be divided into three stages from the temporal discharge images, i.e., the pre-discharge, the transition from mainly axial electric field to mainly radial electric field, and the decaying process. The self-pulse is suggested to originate from the mode transition of the discharge in essence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Operating modes of a hydrogen ion source based on a hollow-cathode pulsed Penning discharge

An ion source based on a hollow-cathode Penning discharge was switched to a high-current pulsed mode (tens of amperes and tens of microseconds) to produce an intense hydrogen ion beam. With molecular hydrogen (H{sub 2}), the ion beam contained three species: H{sup +}, H{sub 2}{sup +}, and H{sub 3}{sup +}. For all experimental conditions, the fraction of H{sub 2}{sup +} ions in the beam was about 10 ÷ 15% of the total ion beam current and varied little with ion source parameters. At the same time, the ratio of H{sup +} and H{sub 3}{sup +} depended strongly on the discharge current, particularly on its distribution in the gap between the hollow and planar cathodes. Increasing the discharge current increased the H{sup +} fraction in ion beam. The maximum fraction of H{sup +} reached 80% of the total ion beam current. Forced redistribution of the discharge current in the cathode gap for increasing the hollow cathode current could greatly increase the H{sub 3}{sup +} fraction in the beam. At optimum parameters, the fraction of H{sub 3}{sup +} ions reached 60% of the total ion beam current.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Self-pulsing in a low-current hollow cathode discharge: From Townsend to glow discharge

We investigate the self-pulsing phenomenon of a low current cavity discharge in a cylindrical hollow cathode in pure argon. The waveforms of pulsed current and voltage are measured, and the time-averaged and time-resolved images of hollow cathode discharge are recorded by using high-speed intensified charge coupled device camera. The results show that the self-pulsing is a mode transition between low-current stage of Townsend discharge and high-current stage of glow discharge. During the self-pulsing, the current rising time relates to the dissipation of space charges, and the decay time relates to the reconstruction of the virtual anode by the accumulation of positive ions. Whether or not space charges can form and keep the virtual anode is responsible for the discharge mode and hence plays an important role in the self-pulsing phenomenon in low current hollow cathode discharge.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Two-dimensional model of orificed micro-hollow cathode discharge for space application

In this paper, we describe results of self-consistent two-dimensional (x-z) particle-in-cell simulations, with a Monte Carlo collision model, of an orificed micro-hollow cathode operating in a planar diode geometry. The model includes thermionic electron emission with Schottky effect, secondary electron emission due to cathode bombardment by the plasma ions, several different collision processes, and a non-uniform xenon background gas density in the cathode-anode gap. Simulated results showing behavior of the plasma density, potential distribution, and energy flux towards the hollow cathode and orifice walls, are discussed. In addition, results of simulations showing the effect of different Xe gas pressures, orifice size, and cathode voltage, on operation of the micro-hollow cathode are presented.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Auxiliary glow discharge in the trigger unit of a hollow-cathode thyratron

Results from studies of a low-current glow discharge with a hollow cathode are presented. A specific feature of the discharge conditions was that a highly emissive tablet containing cesium carbonate was placed in the cathode cavity. In the absence of a tablet, the discharge ignition voltage was typically ≥3.5 kV, while the burning voltage was in the range of 500–600 V. The use of the tablet made it possible to decrease the ignition voltage to 280 V and maintain the discharge burning voltage at a level of about 130 V. A model of the current sustainment in a hollow-cathode discharge is proposed. Instead of the conventional secondary emission yield, the model uses a generalized emission yield that takes into account not only ion bombardment of the cathode, but also the emission current from an external source. The model is used to interpret the observed current−voltage characteristics. The results of calculations agree well with the experimental data. It is shown that, in some discharge modes, the external emission current from the cathode can reach 25% of the total discharge current.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗