Ion accelerator system mounting design and operating characteristics for a 5 kW 30-cm xenon ion engineResults from a series of experiments to determine the effect of accelerator grid mount geometry on the performance of the J-series ion optics assembly are described. Three mounting schemes, two flexible and one rigid, are compared for their relative ion extraction capability over a range of total accelerating voltages. The largest ion beam current, for the maximum total voltage investigated, is shown to occur using one of the flexible grid mounting geometries. However, at lower total voltages and reduced engine input power levels, the original rigid J-series ion optics accelerator grid mounts result in marginally better grid system performance at the same cold interelectrode gap.
Document ID
19870053860
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Aston, Graeme (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Brophy, John R. (California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, United States)