Modeling and simulation play an important role in the development of Hall thrusters by providing faster and more cost-effective means of characterization, as opposed to using experimental measurements alone. While the hybrid-PIC approach has been well established for the past two decades, new thruster designs require updates in the computational models. Specifically, the quasi-1D fluid electron model places significant limitations on the simulation, and this study focuses on the development of a 2D-axisymmetric electron model. First, the potential solver is verified by proving current conservation for all seven test cases. Next, the model is benchmarked against a quasi-1D model to evaluate discharge current, plasma potential, axial electric field, global Joule heating, and Joule heating power density. For the three channel test cases with a purely radial electric field the domain is the most similar to the quasi-1D domain, and we see the best agreement with the quasi-1D results. The difference in electron current is less than 1%, and good qualitative agreement is observed for the plasma potential, axial electric field and Joule heating power density. For the three channel test cases with a curved magnetic field we observe a difference in discharge current of less than 10%, while for the plume case the current is 70% higher than in the quasi-1D prediction, due to the location and geometry of the boundary conditions. Finally, the effects of Joule heating are investigated, and high sensitivity to the electron collision frequency and magnetic field is observed. While the present work highlights the latest developments of a complete standalone 2D model for electrons, ongoing work is focused on coupling this model with a heavy species solver in a hybrid framework.
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