My research focuses on numerical simulations and experimental testing of electric propulsion (EP) systems for small to medium sized satellites. EP is an area of intense research activity, even though Gridded Ion Thrusters (GITs) and Hall effect thrusters (HETs) are mature technologies with well-established flight heritage. These systems are inherently complex and often asymmetrical, making 3D simulations useful to accurately capture plume plasma dynamics and assess propulsive performance.

The research objective is indeed to develop a software capable of simulating the most commonly used electric thrusters in 3D with reduced computational time and higher fidelity than existing solutions. Experimental vacuum tests are conducted at the facility of the University of Padua to obtain results which will be used as a benchmark for validation of the numerical code.

The activity so far focused on the performance evaluation of low power, <200W, Helicon Plasma Thrusters (HPTs) and low power, <1kW, GITs.