A Plasma-to-Engineering Design Framework for Electrical, Thermal, and Mechanical Constraints in Hall-Effect Thrusters

Hall-Effect thrusters (HETs) have emerged as the primary electric propulsion system for compact spacecraft and satellites. Because of their high-temperature operation and pulsating thrust, specific engineering requirements must be met to maintain efficient and stable performance. Recent research by the University of Michigan Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory team analyzing plasma properties within a HET has led to a simulation package testing thruster performance based on its operating point. Using this software, we present an engineering workflow that utilizes extracted plasma properties to directly produce RLC filter components, thermal and manufacturing tolerances, and CAD dimensions in one pipeline. Our thruster is a 241.2 W, xenon-dependent HET, optimized using HallThruster.jl simulations; post- processing variables and plasma metrics from these simulations inform our RLC filter, thermal/electrical analysis, and CAD models. Traditional engineering procedure would test RLC filter components and tune CAD dimensions with tolerances post-fabrication; we show that all plasma properties can produce these critical components in one process, pre-fabrication.