Numerical Model of a Helicon Plasma Thruster

This article is devoted to the presentation of a numerical model of a Helicon Plasma Thruster (HPT) which relies on: 1) the 3-D adVanced fluId dRifT diffUsion plaSma solver (3D-VIRTUS) for the simulation of the plasma source and 2) an analytical model of the plume for the solution of the plasma acceleration and detachment, and in turn for the preliminary estimation of the propulsive performances (e.g., thrust and specific impulse). The results of the numerical model have been compared against experimental measurements performed with a thrust stand in order to evaluate the reliability of the code when dealing with real-life prototypes. Specifically, a dedicated combined numerical–experimental campaign has been conducted on a low power (50-W range) HPT prototype operated with argon propellant.