The effect of magnetic field configuration and propellant supply rate on insulator erosion in a hall thruster

Dependence of the rate of insulator erosion on the walls of discharge chamber of a Hall thruster on the propellant supply rate and magnetic field configuration at a constant discharge voltage has been studied. The regime of thruster operation was controlled by varying the propellant mass flow rate. The magnetic field configuration was optimized by monitoring the intensity of the spectral line of sputtered boron atoms. It is established that the rate of insulator erosion in the discharge chamber significantly decreases upon optimization of the magnetic field configuration, while the integral characteristics of the thruster change rather insignificantly. With the optimum magnetic field configuration, the rate of erosion of discharge chamber walls depends rather insignificantly on the propellant supply rate.