Design and performance of a lightweight, high power density permanent magnet Hall thruster

The rapid deployment of commercial mega-constellations has created an urgent demand for electric propulsion systems that combine lightweight design with high power density. Although permanent magnet Hall thrusters have become one of the main practical solutions, they face a critical thermal-magnetic conflict: increasing power density exacerbates heat accumulation, leading to irreversible demagnetization due to the intrinsic thermal sensitivity of the permanent magnets. To address this fundamental challenge, this paper proposes a novel thermal management architecture based on the HEP-1350PM V2 thruster as the platform. The design replaces traditional structures with a lightweight 7075 aluminum alloy frame and integrates a black anodized radiator to form a low-thermal-resistance conduction path, significantly enhancing heat conduction and radiation capabilities. This approach effectively overcomes thermal bottlenecks, enabling stable operation under high thermal loads. Experimental results demonstrate that the thruster can reach thermal equilibrium across a wide power range from 200 W to 2 kW. Its peak total efficiency reaches 63.3 % with xenon propellant and 50.2 % with krypton propellant, while its power-to-weight ratio reaches 1.11 kW/kg, three times that of the SPT-100 thruster. This study validates the effectiveness of the proposed architecture, providing a thermal management strategy for future high-power, lightweight space propulsion systems.