The use of sealed gas-filled EEE-parts in units intended for long operation under vacuum and increased voltage environment

Today, the scope of application of electric propulsion systems for orbit correction and spacecraft’s attitude control is rapidly expanding due to their high efficiency compared to liquid jet systems. The main elements of electric jet systems are plasma or ion thrusters. To ensure power supply of such thrusters, complex electronic power processing systems - power processing units (PPU) - are used. These units are capable to operate for a long time (up to 15 years or more) in a high vacuum environment and generate sufficiently high accelerating voltages - from 300 V and higher. PPU’s comprise various EEE-parts, mainly in the case design. As a rule, the technology of their production is such that air or nitrogen is initially located inside the housing at atmospheric pressure. During the operation of the unit, the non-absolute hermeticity causes pressure decrease inside EEE housings. Due to high voltages applied, this can lead to electrical breakdowns between current-carrying elements inside the parts, their failure with the subsequent failure of the functional blocks of the unit. The paper considers the physical principles of the breakdown occurrence inside EEE-parts cases. The results of non-hermiticity measurements of several types of HV EEE-parts are presented. The dynamics of the pressure drop to the values dangerous from the point of view of breakdown event and the relevant occurrence duration are estimated. It is shown that duration of being exposed to the pressure-dangerous conditions can be as long as spacecraft service lifetime. It can make difficult to use packaged gas-filled EEE-parts at the level of units intended to operate in non-pressurized compartments of spacecraft. Recommendations are provided for selecting the design of EEE parts with an operating voltage of about 300 V or more, as well as circuit solutions used to develop high-voltage equipment intended to operate in vacuum environment.