Brandon Bass

Innovative Mechanical Engineer known for productive and efficient task completion. Skilled in computer-aided design (CAD), thermodynamics, and project management. Excel in problem-solving, teamwork, and communication, ensuring seamless collaboration on engineering projects.

• The PIT project build is a Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT) with the goal of providing a cheaper version of electric propulsion used in satellite position control and collision avoidance in low earth orbit. The PIT projects goal was to build a satellite thruster without utilizing a cathode and gas collisions.

• Hall effect thrusters are the most common type of thruster and have been proven to be efficient at low power ratings but suffer one drawback. The life span of these thrusters is limited because of erosion. Diverging Cusped field hall effect thrusters are designed to mitigate erosion leading to an increased life cycle of satellites operating in LEO. However, there is one issue. The main design in diverging cusped field hall effect thruster that is supposed to increase the life cycle is not fully understood and has lead researchers backtracking. That design is the magnetic arrangements made to confine electrons and plasma through a concept called magnetic mirroring. Magnetic mirroring occurs when you have two strong magnetic fields close to one another and creates a loop for electrons to be trapped in. This research will be answering is the role of axial magnetic mirroring in electron confinement in Diverging cusped field Hall effect thrusters. It is currently understood that it occurs, and it has an effect but there are no theoretical or quantititative models made. The direct outcome of the project is to create a quasi-one-dimensional model of electron confinement and a two-dimensional model that could predict the plasma density distribution though PIC-MCC simulations. These models would be created in the fall semester of 2024. In the spring semester a prototype of the diverging cusped field hall effect thruster will be created to perform experimental tests to see if we can prove our models to be accurate.