Computational modelling of water-fuelled Hall Effect Thrusters
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Munoz Tejeda, Jesus Manuel
Perales, Jesus
Knoll, Aaron
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This paper presents a Particle-In-Cell code designed for the simulation of water-fuelled
Hall Efect Thrusters, including two diferent propellants: water vapour and oxygen
(the latter being intended for water electrolysis propulsion with oxygen supplied
through the anode and hydrogen through the cathode). The reactive model is struc‑
tured in two stages, encompassing not only the initial reactions of water vapour
and oxygen molecules (1st stage) but also the reactions of the diatomic and mono‑
atomic products resulting from them (2nd stage). Specifcally, the model accounts
for 45 reactions in the case of water vapour and 18 reactions in the case of oxygen,
including the most relevant excitation events for each species. The Particle-In-Cell
code uses a combination of a 0-dimensional model with a 2-dimensional model.
The 0-dimensional model provides initial neutral and electron densities, as well
as the most signifcant reactions, to facilitate the convergence of the 2-dimensional
model without the computational burden of starting a simulation from scratch. The
0-dimensional model reveals that the reactions considered within the 2nd stage are
crucial for the plasma species composition of the discharge. The oxygen plasmas
consist mainly of O+ and O+
2 ions in a similar proportion, while double and negative
ions do not play a signifcant role. Neutrals (O2 and O) also show similar distributions,
depending on the thruster’s operating conditions. Water vapour plasmas are domi‑
nated by OH+, H2O+, H+, and O+ ions, with other species such as H+
2 , O++, and nega‑
tive ions being negligible. The neutral population is predominantly composed of mon‑
oatomic H particles. The 0-dimensional model also demonstrates that all ionisation
fractions of the species follow an exponentially increasing trend with the electron tem‑
perature. Finally, the 2-dimensional model provides additional insight into the plasma
evolution, electron temperature, power losses coming from the reactive model
and equilibrium points of the system.
Hall Efect Thrusters, including two diferent propellants: water vapour and oxygen
(the latter being intended for water electrolysis propulsion with oxygen supplied
through the anode and hydrogen through the cathode). The reactive model is struc‑
tured in two stages, encompassing not only the initial reactions of water vapour
and oxygen molecules (1st stage) but also the reactions of the diatomic and mono‑
atomic products resulting from them (2nd stage). Specifcally, the model accounts
for 45 reactions in the case of water vapour and 18 reactions in the case of oxygen,
including the most relevant excitation events for each species. The Particle-In-Cell
code uses a combination of a 0-dimensional model with a 2-dimensional model.
The 0-dimensional model provides initial neutral and electron densities, as well
as the most signifcant reactions, to facilitate the convergence of the 2-dimensional
model without the computational burden of starting a simulation from scratch. The
0-dimensional model reveals that the reactions considered within the 2nd stage are
crucial for the plasma species composition of the discharge. The oxygen plasmas
consist mainly of O+ and O+
2 ions in a similar proportion, while double and negative
ions do not play a signifcant role. Neutrals (O2 and O) also show similar distributions,
depending on the thruster’s operating conditions. Water vapour plasmas are domi‑
nated by OH+, H2O+, H+, and O+ ions, with other species such as H+
2 , O++, and nega‑
tive ions being negligible. The neutral population is predominantly composed of mon‑
oatomic H particles. The 0-dimensional model also demonstrates that all ionisation
fractions of the species follow an exponentially increasing trend with the electron tem‑
perature. Finally, the 2-dimensional model provides additional insight into the plasma
evolution, electron temperature, power losses coming from the reactive model
and equilibrium points of the system.
Date Issued
2025-12-01
Date Acceptance
2025-03-25
Citation
Journal of Electric Propulsion, 2025, 4 (1)
ISSN
2731-4596
Publisher
Springer Nature
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Electric Propulsion
Volume
4
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1007/s44205-025-00124-2
Subjects
Water vapour
Water electrolysis
Oxygen
Particle-in-cell
Computational model
Hall Effect Thrusters
Green propulsion
Sustainability
Electric propulsion
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
27
Date Publish Online
2025-04-24