Simplified power supplies for ion thrusters

A program addressing less complex and potentially lower cost ion thruster systems has been started at the NASA Lewis Research Center. This paper discusses the initial development and demonstration of power supplies with an order of magnitude reduction in parts count, leading to increased reliability at lower weight, while still maintaining thrust system performance. Two new self-regulating keeper power supply circuits were developed and tested. One supply comprises 14 parts and uses an input voltage range of 18 to 36 volts, the other operates from 200 to 400 volts and requires 22 components. A new technique for controlling heater power is also demonstrated.