RU2508473C1 - Device to feed dusty working medium into electric rocket engine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: engines and pumps.

SUBSTANCE: proposed device relates to electric rocket engines operating on dust used as working medium for generation of thrust. Proposed device keeps working medium in one or more capsules arranged in magazine and incorporates dusty working medium drive which allows withdrawing the capsule from magazine cell and pushing it in engine acceleration chamber and withdrawing it therefrom. Note here that said capsule has shell from dielectric material, bottom and quick release cover detachable nearby engine acceleration electrode, first as seen along working medium flow.

EFFECT: ruled out direct contact and friction between mechanisms and dusty working medium, control feed, decreased overall dimensions.

9 cl, 10 dwg

Description

A device for supplying a dusty working fluid to an electric rocket engine belongs to the field of electric rocket engines (ERE), in which the electric energy of an onboard power plant of a spacecraft and using the reaction force of a working fluid accelerated in an electric and (or) is used as a source of energy for creating thrust magnetic fields, namely to electric propulsion, which use dust as a working fluid to create traction.

Currently, world space is on the verge of developing and colonizing our closest natural satellite - the Moon. Existing chemical fuel rocket systems are well-developed and successfully cope with the delivery of various space cargoes to Earth orbit. But the use of rocket engines using chemical fuel is unacceptable for economic reasons for the exploration of the moon due to the low velocity of the expiration of the working fluid. Which, according to Tsiolkovsky’s formula about the final velocity of the rocket, provides an extremely small percentage of the mass that a chemical-fuel rocket can deliver from Earth to the Moon, and therefore a high cost of cargo delivery. There are electric rocket engines (ERE) that have a high flow rate, but they can work in a vacuum or in a very rarefied environment. Obviously, the most promising method of delivering cargo from Earth to the Moon in the near future is first delivering cargo from Earth to Earth orbit with chemical fuel rockets, and then using spacecraft (SC) with electric rocket engines further to the Moon. For such electric propulsion it is necessary to have a source of electrical energy and a working fluid on board the spacecraft. A nuclear reactor can be used as a source of electrical energy, which allows to provide electric propulsion with sufficient energy for a long period of time. It is economically unprofitable to deliver a working fluid to a spacecraft from the Earth, it is more profitable to take it from the moon, since a spacecraft with an electric propulsion can easily hover and take off due to the actual absence of atmosphere on the moon and its low gravity. ERDs are known that use a variety of working fluids: low molecular weight or easily dissociating gases and liquids; alkaline or heavy, easily evaporating metals, as well as organic liquids; various gases and solids. The source [1] describes a colloidal ERD in which the working fluid is accelerated in the form of positively charged microscopic particles of microns ("colloidal") in size (droplets, dust particles, etc.), which are 4-6 in size and weight orders of magnitude exceed ions. The most easily mined substance, which can be mined on the surface of the Moon and used as a working fluid for ERE, is moon dust.

Known analogues: "Wick injection of liquids for colloidal propulsion" US 2003209005 (A1); IPC V05V 5/025, B64G 1/40, F02K 9/44, F02K 99/00, F03H 1/00, F03H 99/00, (IPC1-7): F03H 1/00; ECLA B05B 5/025 A, B64G 1/40 B, B64G 1/40 D, F02K 11/00, F02K 9/44, F03H 1/00 D2, publ. 11/13/2003 and Wick injection of colloidal fluids for satellite propulsion US 2004226279 (A1); IPC F02K 9/52, F02K 9/72, F03H 1/00, (IPC1-7): F03H 1/00; ECLA F02K 9/52, F02K 9/72, F03H 1/00 D2, publ. November 18, 2004, in which a liquid working fluid is used, which is supplied to the electric propulsion through the wick due to the capillary wetting forces of the liquid. In another analogue of “Iodine electric propulsion thrusters” US 6609363 (B1); IPC F03H 1/00; (IPC1-7): F03H 1/00, ECLA F03H 1/00 D2, publ. 08/26/2003, iodine is used as a working fluid, which is stored in crystalline form and then converted to gaseous and then used in electric propulsion. These analogues have drawbacks in that it is not yet possible to obtain large quantities of liquid and crystalline iodine on the Moon and, therefore, they need to be delivered from Earth, which is economically expensive and means using these electric propulsion engines as the main traction engines of the KLA is also not profitable .

Another analogue to the claimed device, which can be adopted as a prototype, is the patent "Accelerator system and method of accelerating particles (Accelerator system and method of accelerating particles)" US 7773362 (B1), IPC B05B 5/053, ECLA F03H 1/00 D2, publ. 08/10/2010, which describes a variety of device options and methods for accelerating dust using electric and magnetic fields to create the thrust of a spacecraft. In this invention, a dusty working fluid is supplied to the accelerator discharge chamber in an active or passive manner. The active introduction of dust particles refers to any known method of mechanical introduction, for example, using a fan. Passive introduction can be achieved by forming a charge on the dust particles when they are in the source reservoir, and then expelling them from the source reservoir by forces of their mutual repulsion or induced. In another way, it can be said that dust particles are removed from the reservoir in which they are contained either mechanically or electromagnetic. Known mechanical methods for supplying a dusty working fluid include the use of screws (screws), belt (scraper) conveyors, and a pneumatic method. In fact, in the present invention, accelerator power supply by a dusty working fluid is the bottleneck. The problem is as follows. In the prototype under consideration and in the present invention, the main most advantageous direction of their application is the use of moon dust as a working fluid. It is known that lunar dust is well electrified and is prone to sticking together and apparently not only due to electrostatic forces of attraction, but also due to the van der Waals forces of mutual attraction of dust molecules, which is especially aggravated in a vacuum, where there is no air, and therefore, the air gap between the dust particles. American astronauts encountered the properties of moon dust during the lunar expeditions of the Apollo. They found that moon dust suddenly turned into a serious problem for them. It not only turned out to be so abrasive that it partially penetrated the outer gloves of the space suit, but also stuck to everything. The more they tried to brush it off, the more it clogged in the fabric of the spacesuit. Partially, lunar dust owes its strong adhesion to the sharp, uneven edges of individual dust grains that have formed over millions of years of meteor strikes and the absence of water and atmospheric erosion. The pointed edges of these grains were like hooks that clung to various objects like microscopic burrs. Thus, if mechanical particles are used to move particles of moon dust in a vacuum, which, when friction against dust (which is inevitable) additionally electrifies it, which leads to its sticking to parts of the mechanism, then most likely this will lead to their braking and jamming, and as a result high abrasive properties of dust to intensive wear of parts of the mechanism. If electromagnetic forces are used to introduce dust particles into the electric propulsion, then other problems arise. They consist in the fact that the dimensions of the cross section through which the working fluid is supplied to the electric propulsion system should not exceed, or rather, should be smaller than the sizes of the accelerating electrodes. And since the dust does not have flowing properties, like liquid or gas, the cross section of the tank along its entire length in which it is stored should not differ much from the size of its output section. With small volumes of the working fluid, for example, when using electric propulsion as an electric propulsion, this is quite acceptable. But when using lunar dust in the main (marching) booster EREs, it is necessary to have at least 5-10 tons of dust particles on board a spacecraft with a payload of about 10-30 tons. Then it turns out that the size of the electric propulsion will greatly increase. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that when using electromagnetic forces to introduce dust particles into the electric propulsion, it is difficult to quickly adjust the engine thrust. In addition, with this method, the thrust of the electric propulsion will depend on the charge of dust particles and the potential on the electrodes, and therefore, to reduce the thrust of the engine, it is necessary to reduce the charges of dust particles and (or) electrodes, which will lead to a decrease in the speed of accelerated particles and their inefficient use.

The objective of the invention is the creation of a reliable power supply for electric propulsion by a dusty working fluid to create high traction forces and ensure effective controllability of electric propulsion of an electric propulsion system. The problem is solved in that in a device for supplying a dusty working fluid to an electric rocket engine, the dusty working fluid is stored in one or more capsules placed in the store, and the mechanism for moving the dusty working fluid is made in such a way that it has the ability to remove the capsule from the cell store and slide the capsule into the accelerating space of the electric rocket engine and push the capsule back out of the accelerating space of the electric rocket engine. In this case, the capsule for storing a dusty working fluid has a shell of dielectric material, a bottom and a quick-release lid, which has the ability to be dumped near the first, along the moving dusty working fluid, accelerating electrode of an electric rocket engine. In this device, the dust-like working fluid (or simply the working fluid) is packaged in separate capsules in advance when preparing the spacecraft for flight, and the capsules themselves are placed and oriented in the cells of the store in such a way as to ensure the operation of the mechanism for moving the working fluid. The main structural elements of the capsule are a dielectric shell (lateral surface of the capsule) of dielectric material without a coating of a conductor, a quick-detachable lid and a bottom. The dielectric shell has a strong connection with the bottom and during operation of the proposed device they do not disconnect among themselves, unlike the quick-release cover. The quick-release capsule lid is designed in such a way that it can be reset, i.e. disconnect from the dielectric shell near the first, along the movement of the working fluid, the accelerating electrode of the electric rocket engine. In an electric propulsion, according to the source [1] and prototype, there can be two or one accelerating electrodes. Here, the accelerating electrode is considered to be the first, which is located at the beginning (in the direction of movement of the working fluid) of the accelerating space of the electric propulsion system and has a repulsive effect on dust particles of the working fluid. The second accelerating electrode is located at the end of the accelerating space, i.e. at the outlet of the working fluid from the electric propulsion and has an attractive effect on dust particles of the working fluid. By the accelerating space of the ERE is meant the region between two accelerating electrodes (in the presence of the first and second accelerating electrodes) or a region near one electrode (in the presence in the ERE of only one accelerating electrode), in which the active acceleration of the working fluid in the ERE occurs. It is clear that dust particles could be freely accelerated in the accelerating space of the electric propulsion electrodes, the quick-release cover should be reset near the first accelerating electrode. In the proposed device, the quick-release lid is thrown aside in a known manner. For example, the lid can be thrown by triggering the igniter or by pre-fixing the latch with a latch or a latch on the capsule with preliminary pressing of an elastic element (for example, a spring) followed by latching or by removing the latch in the vicinity of the first accelerating ERE electrode. A signal or a command to reset the cover can come remotely from the command center (KC) or occur automatically when mechanically touched by a latch or stop latch installed in the right place. Each cell in the store may have a latch that clearly captures the position of the capsule in the cell. Such a latch can also be located on the capsule itself. These latches can be a latch similar to door latches with a spring for overcoming, which require a certain amount of force by pressing the latch or a controlled latch that can be retracted and retracted remotely by the command of the command center (CC). When fixing, the locking element itself enters the groove or undercut in the contacting part (in the capsule or in the cell). Fixation can also occur due to non-contact electromagnetic effects, i.e. through the action of electromagnetic forces. The dielectric shell is made of any dielectric material, since due to the properties of the dielectric material when an external electric, magnetic or electrostatic field is applied to the capsule, this field can affect charged dust particles that are inside the capsule. The bottom of the capsule may have a structural element (for example, a hook or undercut) on its outer surface so that the capsule can be gripped by a mechanism for moving the working fluid. The magazine may be movable or not movable relative to the accelerating electrodes of the electric propulsion, i.e. may or may not have its own drive. In the case when the store does not have a drive, the mechanism for moving the working fluid itself selects the necessary capsules from the cells of the store. If the store has a drive, then its work is coordinated with the work of the mechanism for moving the working fluid. Mobile shops can be like that. The magazine can be of a revolving type when it has an axis of rotation, and the cells are arranged in a circle on the same radius relative to the axis of rotation of the magazine. The rotation of such a store can be made from any engine with an output rotating shaft directly or through a gearbox. The store can be of a linear type when the cells in it are located on the same line. In this case, the magazine can be displaced by any known linear gear, for example a helical gear, a direct gear rack, a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a winch type gear, etc., which, in turn, are driven through gearboxes, pumps, compressors, etc. . The store can be two coordinate, in which the cells are arranged in rows in the forward and perpendicular directions, or like cells in a honeycomb. In this case, the drive can be carried out by two independent (separate) linear drives described above in the description of the linear type drive. The store can be of a chain type, in which the capsule cells are interconnected like links of a plate chain and, connecting with each other, form a chain of finite length or an endless (closed) chain, and the chain is driven from any engine with an output rotating shaft directly or through gearbox. The store can be made in one of the mixed variants using several types simultaneously described above. For example, a magazine of a revolving type has the ability to change the position of its axis of rotation with an additional drive and have not one row of cells, but several located around a circle relative to the axis of rotation of the magazine at different radii from it. The store’s drive works in such a way that with each successive operation it shifts the cells in order by one step and the position of the next cell exactly coincides with the position of the previous cell. The shift of the store cells from one position to another can be carried out using any known mechanism (for example, the Maltese mechanism), which can provide such a step-by-step shift of the cells or automatically as is done in automatic firearms. Or this shift of the store cells can be done at the command of the command center (KC). A mechanism for moving a dusty working fluid (or simply a mechanism for moving a working fluid) by means of a gripper or hook captures the capsule by the bottom of the capsule (bottom) or dielectric shell and removes the capsule from the magazine cell, and then slides the capsule into the accelerating space of the ERE. Moreover, the intrinsic axis of the capsule, which is the axis passing through the centers of mass of the internal cross sections of the dielectric shell, should be as close as possible to the coaxial position with the axis of the electric propulsion. The axis of the electric propulsion system is understood as the axis of symmetry of the accelerating electrodes or the accelerating electrode (if there is only one accelerating electrode in the electric propulsion system). The axis of the ERE usually coincides with the vector of the resultant reactive force acting on the ERE from the side of the working fluid. After emptying the capsule or to stop the operation of the electric propulsion, the mechanism for moving the working fluid pushes the capsule back, i.e. in the direction opposite to the expiration of the working fluid from the electric propulsion. Management of the proposed device can be carried out by commands of the command center (KC). The command center can be the operator controlling the device in manual mode according to the readings of sensors and (or) monitoring devices. At the same time, the operator monitors the readings of sensors and (or) devices and gives commands to turn on (off), change direction, change the speed of the elements of the proposed device (magazine, parts of the mechanism for moving the working fluid, capsule latches in the magazine, quick-release lid latches, etc.) .d.). The command center can be an automatic device (controller) and / or a programmable device (computer, processor) monitoring the movements of elements of the proposed device using sensors. According to the readings of these sensors, the control center issues commands to the corresponding drives. In this case, an automatic or programmable device, according to the algorithm (program) laid down in it, gives commands to turn on or turn off one or another element of the proposed device (magazine, parts of the mechanism for moving the working fluid, capsule latches in the magazine, quick-release lid latches, etc. ) by signals from sensors. In this case, feedback drive controls can be used to give them more precise movement. Mixed control options are possible. Such CCs are used in modern numerically controlled machines (machining centers) that carry out and control the movement of tools and parts using sensors. These machines can perform various technological operations with the part, using independently various cutting (processing) modes and various tools that are located in the machine shop.

It should be noted here that dust can be charged directly at the first electrode, as described in one of the prototype variants, or when capsules are in the store through conductors in the caps bottoms with an electric potential supplied through a separate conductor. And also when applying electric potential through the mechanism of movement of the working fluid in contact with the bottom of the capsule. At least partial charging of dust can also be done by stuffing the capsule with dust or after stuffing before being placed in the store.

Storage of the dust-like working fluid in separate capsules placed in the store and their sequentially controlled introduction into the accelerating space of the electric propulsion and removing the capsules from the accelerating space of the electric propulsion excludes the use of known mechanisms for transferring the dust-like working fluid with direct contact and friction of the mechanisms with it, and makes it possible to regulate the supply of a dusty working fluid and, accordingly, to control the thrust force of the electric propulsion engine without reducing the electric potentials of the accelerating electrodes and the charge and dust particles of the working fluid and, accordingly, to ensure the efficient use of the working fluid. Since the size of one capsule is much smaller than the volume in which the entire dust-like working fluid can be placed, the dimensions of the electric propulsion are much smaller than they could be without using it.

A device for supplying a dust-like working fluid to an electric rocket engine may have a magazine with a drive, allowing the magazine to shift the position of the cells so that the position of the next cell exactly matches the position of the previous cell, and the mechanism for moving the dust-like working fluid contains a pusher and stationary relative to the accelerating electrodes of the electric rocket engine guide rail. In this case, the pusher has the ability to engage and disengage with the bottom of the capsule and move along its axis, coinciding with one of the axes of the store cell and the guide mounted coaxially to the axis of the electric propulsion engine (ERE) (claim 2). The bottom of the capsule has a hook with which it can connect to the pusher and disconnect. Capsules filled and closed with quick-release caps in advance (when preparing the spacecraft for flight) are placed in the cells of the store in such a way that the caps of the capsules are on the side of the outlet sections of the store, and the bottoms of the capsules on the other side. The store cells have exit sections located on one side of the store, through which the capsules extend from the cells. From the side opposite to the output sections, the cell may have a wall with an opening for the passage of the pusher in it or may have a through hole. The pusher is a longitudinal force element, which can, creating a certain force, extend and retract at a speed controlled from the CC. In the design, this can be, for example, a rod of a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a ball screw, screw or any other linear gear, as well as an angular joint with a linearly moving rod. There is a hook at the end of the push rod that can engage with the hook in the deaf bottom of the capsules. Hitching on the pusher with a hook on the blind bottom of the capsule can be performed automatically as a door latch or controlled by a command from the CC. In the simplest case, this may be a threaded connection. In this case, a threaded hole is made in the blind bottom, and an external thread is cut at the end of the pusher. The coupling will be performed as follows: as the end of the pusher approaches the blind bottom, the pusher begins to rotate and twist into the blind bottom; when uncoupled, all actions are performed in the reverse order. The guide may be a through shell or through case, which has an inlet section and an outlet section and serves to orient the capsules precisely with respect to the accelerating electrodes of the electric propulsion devices when they are introduced by the pusher into the accelerating space of the electric propulsion devices. The guide is stationary relative to the accelerating electrodes of the electric propulsion. The capsule should move inside the guide with the minimum possible (according to technical capabilities) oscillation of its own axis. The contact of the capsule and the guide can be made by mechanical sliding, rolling of the roller bearings or by electromagnetic repulsion of mutually shifting surfaces (for example, like trains on magnetic cushions). Naturally, in the case when the walls of the guide are located close to the accelerating electrodes or are located between the control electrodes of the electric propulsion, they must be made of a dielectric to prevent electrical breakdown. The device is controlled from the CC.

In the case when the dust-like working fluid of the capsules placed in the store has a charge, and the first accelerating electrode of the ERE already has a charge of the same sign, then to reduce the electrostatic repulsive force of the accelerating electrode of the ERE and the dust-like working fluid of the capsules, part or all of the outer surface the device to (not including) the accelerating electrodes of the electric rocket engine has a shield (conductive) coating of the outer surface (claim 3 of the claims).

In order to transfer an electric charge to the dusty working fluid inside the capsule, the bottom of the capsule for storing the dusty working fluid can have a conductive element or can be completely made of a conductor (claim 4).

The dielectric shell of the capsule can be made of a material that is transparent to ionizing radiation (for example, x-rays, alpha rays, gamma rays, electron flux, etc.) to allow ionization of the dusty working medium inside the capsule (claim 5) .

As a guide in the device according to claim 2, you can use the cell store. In this embodiment of the device, the guide as a separate element is absent, the magazine is located closer to the first accelerating electrode of the ERE, and the capsule may have an elongated tail part (bottom) to ensure contact with the cell of the magazine, which acts as a guide (claim 6).

As a guide in the device according to claim 2, you can use the pusher. In this embodiment of the device, the guide as a separate element is absent, the pusher can perform linear displacements parallel or coaxial to the axis of the electric propulsion, and the hitch of the pusher and the capsule is rigid without displacements and rotations (claim 7).

In the case when a dusty working fluid is not required for the electric propulsion system more than can be placed in one capsule, the device according to claim 2 does not have a magazine as a separate element, and it is either combined functionally with the guide or the role of the guide is made by the rigid connection of the capsule with a pusher that can perform linear displacements parallel or coaxial to the axis of the electric propulsion (paragraph 8 of the claims).

A device for supplying a dust-like working fluid to an electric rocket engine may have a magazine with a drive, allowing the magazine to shift the position of the cells so that the position of the next cell exactly matches the position of the previous cell, and the mechanism for moving the dust-like working fluid contains a pusher with a lateral grip. In this case, the pusher has the ability to move along its axis, and the lateral grip rotate around the axis of the pusher and, catching on the bottom of the capsule, push the capsule out of the store cell and slide the capsule into the accelerating space of the electric propulsion engine and pushing the capsule back out of the accelerating space of the electric propulsion engine (claim 9 of the formula inventions). In the proposed embodiment of the device, a pusher with a lateral grip is used, which can perform not one, but several actions: independently catch on the bottom of the capsule, remove the capsule from the store cell, move it and slide it into the ERD and push it back. Thus, a pusher with a lateral grip has at least three degrees of freedom and three independent drives. The first drive provides linear displacement of the pusher along its axis, the second - the rotation of the lateral grip around the axis of the pusher, the third - provides compression and release of the hook. In this case, the distance from the axis of the pusher with a lateral grip to the axis of the cell, from where the capsule is removed, must coincide with the distance from the axis of the pusher with a lateral grip to the axis of the electric rocket engine. Otherwise, it is necessary to add an additional drive to compensate for the mismatch of the specified center distances. The operation of the store and device management is the same as in the embodiment of the device according to claim 2. The pusher itself without a lateral grip is a longitudinal force element that can, by creating a certain force, extend and retract at a speed controlled from the CC. In the design, this may be, for example, a rod of a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a ball screw, screw or any other linear gear. The lateral grip is mounted on the pusher and rotates around the pusher due to the rotation drive mounted on the pusher. A capture of the capsule can be carried out thanks to a linear drive or a rotation drive or other known drive mounted on a side grip. The device is controlled from the CC. To ensure reliable fixation of the capsule by the lateral hook of the pusher, there is a recess or hook on the bottom of the capsules, and the bottoms themselves are at a certain extension from the walls of the store and at a certain distance between them allowing the lateral grip of the pusher to capture the capsules in the store.

The invention is illustrated by the drawing of figure 1, which shows a device for feeding a dusty working fluid into an electric rocket engine in section according to claim 2.

The device has a magazine pos. 1 with a drive pos. 2 (electric motor). In the cells of the store pos.1 placed capsules pos.3. The capsule of pos. 3 contains a quick-detachable cap of pos. 4, the dielectric casing of pos. 5 and the bottom of pos. 6, which is fixedly fixed on it. The quick-release lid pos. 4 is made in such a way that on the dielectric casing pos. 5 there are grooves in a semicircle into which the lid pos. 4 is inserted with its grooves perpendicular to the axis of the capsule pos. On the cover pos. 4 there is a squib pos. 7 with a contact pos. 8. When the pyro cartridge is triggered, pos.7, the cover of pos.4 is thrown to the side from which this cover enters the grooves of the dielectric shell of pos.5. All capsules of pos. 3 are placed in the shop of pos. 1 symmetrically with respect to the axis of its rotation MN and are fixed in the cells due to the presence in the bottom of pos. 6 of an annular groove on the outer surface, which includes spring-loaded locking balls located in the nests of the shop of pos. 1. The main elements of the mechanism for moving the working fluid, in this case, are the guide pos.9 with the electrical contact pos.10, the sensor pos.11 and the pusher pos.12 with the actuator pos.13 and the stop pos.14. When touching the contact pos.10 located on the guide pos.9 and the contact pos.8 on the quick-release cover pos.4, an electric impulse is transmitted from the contact pos.10 to the contact pos.8 and thus the igniter pos.7 is triggered. The sensor pos.11 is installed on the axis of rotation of the magazine pos.1, which is a sensor of angular displacements and monitors the angle of rotation of the magazine pos.1. The stop pos. 14 is stationary (relative to the electric propulsion) and is located with a minimum clearance from the magazine pos. 1 at a distance from the pusher axis pos. 12 smaller than the bottom radius pos. 6, but larger than the pusher radius pos. 12. The axis of the pusher pos.12, one of the capsules pos.3, located inside the store pos.1, and the axis of the electric propulsion are combined. At the end of the pusher, pos. 12, there is a hook pos. 15 in the form of an annular groove similar to that on the outer surface of the bottom of pos. 6. On the inner blind hole of the bottom pos. 6 there is a reciprocal hook pos. 16, in which there are nests with spring-loaded locking balls, similar to what is done in the magazine sockets pos. 1. It should be noted that the latches with spring-loaded locking balls for fixing the capsule pos.3 in the cell of the store pos.1 and the bottom pos.6 of the capsule pos.3 on the hook pos.15 of the pusher pos.12 work in such a way that they fix the position of two contacting parts with each other with a certain shear force, which is sufficient to reliably hold these parts motionless relative to each other during operation of the electric propulsion. But, if a large force is applied along the contact surface of the parts, then the locking balls are squeezed out from the center and enter inside their nests, and the parts are disconnected. But it is worth moving the parts together until the contact of the fixing balls with the ring undercut, so here, the locking balls enter the ring under the action of the springs, and the contacting parts are fixed to each other. Electric propulsion elements: first accelerating electrode pos.17, second accelerating electrode pos.18. Sensor pos.19 - linear displacement sensor of the pusher pos.12. Other elements of the electric propulsion system, necessary for its operation, but not directly related to the principle of operation of the proposed device, such as a power source for accelerating electrodes, magazine drives and a pusher, an ionizing source of the working fluid, a source of neutralization of the charged reactive stream of the rejected electric propulsion, and other elements are not shown.

The operation of the device is as follows.

In the store cells of pos. 1 of a revolving type with a actuator of pos. 2, capsules, pos. 3, filled with dust particles, are loaded before preparation for the SC flight. Dust particles before loading the capsule pos.3 into the magazine pos.1 and (or) after loading the electrostatic charge of a certain sign is transferred. At the command of the control center using the drive pos.2, the output section of one of the cells of the store pos.1 is installed opposite the input section of the guide pos.9. thanks to the operation of the sensor pos.11. At the command of the control center, after a short period of time after the sensor pos. 11 is activated, the drive pos. 13 of the pusher pos. 12 starts working, which, touching its hook pos. 15, the pos. 16 on the bottom pos. 6 of the capsule pos. 3, engages with it. Next, the pusher pos.12 moves the capsule pos.3 through the guide pos.9 towards the first accelerating electrode pos.17. In this case, when combining the contacts pos. 8 and 10, the igniter pos. 7 is triggered and the quick-release lid pos. 4 is reset from the capsule pos. 3. At this moment, the capsule pos. 3 has not yet reached the accelerating electrode pos.17 ERD. At this point, the dust in the capsule had a certain charge, coinciding with the charge of the first accelerating electrode pos.16. Based on the accelerating electrode pos.17, charged dust particles are restrained by the forces of electrostatic repulsion from spilling from the capsule. Then, the open part of the capsule falls into the accelerating region between the accelerating electrodes pos. 17 and 18, where, due to the forces of electrostatic repulsion of dust particles from the first accelerating electrode pos. 17, they begin to move towards the second oppositely charged electrode pos. 18 or if there is no second electrode, then from the first electrode pos.17, thereby creating traction force. Then, at the exit from the electric propulsion jet, the charged particles in the ejected jet are neutralized using a source of neutralization. In the future, as the capsule pos. 3 is emptied using the pusher pos. 12, it moves in the direction of discharge of the working fluid. After running out of dust in the capsule pos.3, the pusher in its linear movement reaches the limit of departure. At this moment, the sensor pos.19 of linear displacements of the pusher pos.12 works. The signal enters the CC, which in turn issues a command to the drive pos.13 to stop and move in the opposite direction. The pusher item 12 begins to move in the opposite direction, pushing the empty capsule item 3 to its original position in the cell of the store item 1. When the capsule pos.3 reaches its initial fixed position in the store cell pos.1, the capsule pos.3 rests against the stop pos.14, and the pusher pos.12 continues its disengagement with the capsule pos.3. After the pusher pos.12 reaches its initial position, the sensor pos.19 again reacts and gives a signal to the control center, which gives a command to stop the drive pos.13 of the pusher pos.12, and after a short time after stopping the pusher pos.12, the control center issues a command drive pos. 2 store pos. 1. to offset cells. In the future, the cycle repeats and can be repeated until all dust in capsules is used. Due to the fact that the movement of the pusher pos.12 can be controlled and controlled by the CC, it is possible to control the thrust of the electric propulsion engine and stop its operation without decreasing the charge on the accelerating electrodes pos.17, 18, by issuing a command to retract the capsule pos.3 to the initial position (to the entrance into the accelerating space of the electric propulsion). Thus, controlling the displacement of the pusher pos.12, we obtain the thrust control of the electric propulsion rod not due to the reduction of the charges of the accelerating electrodes pos.17, 18 or the charges of dust particles, but due to the change in the volume of the supplied working fluid in the electric propulsion engine. The quick-release caps pos. 4, discarded, can be reassembled and subsequently reused together with the remaining parts of the caps. Pos. 3 assembled in the shop, pos. 1.

Figure 2 shows a possible control block diagram of the proposed device according to the variant of claim 2 of the claims shown in figure 1. The numbers in the circles indicate the numbers of actions (CC commands, sensor signals) and change upwards as they are executed in time, i.e. First, action 1, then 2, 3, and so on. Actions: 1 - command to start the electric propulsion; 2 - KC team to turn on the drive pos.2 shop; 3 - sensor response pos.11; 4 - signal from the sensor pos.11 at the CC; 5 - KC team to stop the drive pos.2 shop; 6 - command KC to start the drive pos.13 pusher; 7 - response of the sensor pos.19; 8 - signal from the sensor pos.19 at the CC; 9 - a command from the CC to stop the drive pos.13 pusher; 10 - a command from the CC for the reverse movement (reverse) of the drive pos.13 of the pusher; 11 - operation of the sensor pos.19; 12 - signal from the sensor pos.19 at the CC; 13 - a command from the CC to stop the drive pos.13 pusher; 14 - a command from the control center to start the drive pos.2 shop - the cycle of the device is closed. Command 1 for launching the electric propulsion is set at the control center by the operator (pilot, astronaut). KTs 5 and 6 commands are issued to the drives pos. 2 and 3 by the signal 2 of the sensor pos. 11. KTs 9 and 10 commands are issued to the drive pos.13 by the signal 8 of the sensor pos.19. KTs 13 and 14 commands are issued to the actuators pos. 13 and 2 by the signal of the sensor 12 pos. 19.

Figure 3 shows a variant of the device according to claim 3 of the claims, which has the same structure as a variant of the device according to claim 2, but in addition, it has an outside shell 21, which is made of conductive material (from solid or not solid metal), which creates a screening effect from the electrostatic effect of accelerating electrodes pos.17, 18 on the elements of the device.

Figure 4 and 5 depict options for the design of the bottoms according to claim 4 of the claims. Figure 4 - the bottom pos.6 is made of non-conductive material with the insert pos.22 from the conductive material. Figure 5 - the bottom of pos.6 is made entirely of conductor.

Figure 6 shows a variant of the proposed device according to claim 6, which has the same structure as a variant of the device according to claim 2, but in which the store cell position 1 is used as a guide. Contact pos.10 in this embodiment of the device is installed separately stationary relative to the accelerating electrodes pos.17, 18.

Figure 7 shows a variant of the proposed device according to claim 7, which has the same structure as a variant of the device according to claim 2, but in which guides are used as a guide, in which the pusher 12 performs its linear movement. In this case, the capsule pos. 3 has a rigid connection with the pusher pos. 12 through the hooks pos. 15 and 16.

On Fig shows a variant of the proposed device according to claim 8, which has the same structure as a variant of the device according to claim 2, but in which there is only one capsule pos.3 and it is inside the guide pos.9.

Figure 9 and 10 depict a variant of the proposed device according to claim 9. This embodiment of the device contains a store pos. 1 with an actuator pos. 2, capsules pos. 3, having designs similar to those described in the embodiment of the device according to claim 2, shown in Fig. 2, with the exception of some distinctive features. The bottoms of pos. 6, with their dimensions, protrude from the cells of the store and have an annular recess on their side, located outside the cell of the store, pos. 1. The main elements of the mechanism for moving the working fluid, in this case, are the pusher item 12 on which the side grip is mounted. The lateral grip includes the details: pos.23 - an arm with a semi-catch on which a stationary driven gear pos.24 is fixed coaxially to the axis of the pusher pos.12; pos.25 - a small half-grip hinged with the detail pos.23 through the axis of the mid-grip; pos.26 - linear power element, through hinges connecting parts pos.23 and 25; pos.27 - pinion gear; pos.28 - drive rotation of the part pos.27; pos.29 - sensor of angular displacements of the actuator pos.28. On the parts pos.23 and 25 there are ring spikes for gripping the capsule pos.3 through an annular recess in the bottom of pos.6. The distance from the axis of the pusher pos.12 to the axis of the capsule pos.3 and to the axis of the electric propulsion are identical.

The work option of the proposed option according to claim 9 of the claims is as follows.

The operation of the store pos.1 and the opening operation of the quick-release lid pos.4 capsules pos.3 are similar to that described in the embodiment of the proposed device according to claim 2, shown in figure 2. At the command of the control center, after the sensor pos. 11 is activated, the drive pos. 13 of the pusher pos. 12 starts working and continues to work until the sensor pos. 19 is activated. The sensor pos.19 is triggered at the moment when the parts pos.23, 25, which are initially in the open state, enter the tail of the capsule pos.3 - the bottom of pos.6. so that the ring spikes of the parts pos.23, 25 are opposite the annular recess of the bottom pos.6. Figure 10 dashed lines show the position of the small half-capture pos.25 in the open position. Then the command to the linear actuator pos.26 is received from the control center and the parts pos.23 and 25 are closed. When the parts pos.23 and 25 are closed, the ring spikes enter the ring recess in the part pos.6, thereby capturing the capsule pos.3. Then, at the command of the control center, the drive pos.13 is turned on and the pusher pos.12 moves to the side from the magazine pos.1 until the capsule pos.3 is completely withdrawn from the magazine cell pos.1. Upon reaching the desired position of the capsule, which corresponds to a certain indication of the sensor pos.19 KC stops the drive pos.13 and turns on the actuator pos.28. The drive pos. 28 works until the sensor pos. 29 reaches certain values corresponding to the required coaxial position of the axis of the capsule pos. 3 with the axis of the electric propulsion. After stopping the drive pos. 28, the control center sends a command to the drive pos. 13 of the pusher pos. 12 for linear displacement of the capsule towards the accelerating electrodes pos. 17, 18 of the electric propulsion system. In Fig. 9, the dashed lines show the position of the lateral grip together with the capsule pos. 3 at the time of its entry into the accelerating space of the electric propulsion. When the maximum displacement of the pusher pos.12 with the capsule pos.3 inside the ERE is reached, the readings of the sensor pos.19 reach the value by which the drive pos.13 receives a command from the CC to stop it and turn on the reverse movement of the emptied capsule pos.3 in the reverse order feeding using the drive pos. 28 through the sensors pos. 29 and 19 until the introduction of the used capsule into the original cell store pos.1. In the future, the cycle repeats and so on. Thus, in the proposed embodiment of the device, a pusher with a lateral grip is used, which can perform not one, but several actions: independently clinging to the bottom of the capsule, remove the capsule from the store cell, move it and slide it into the ERE. After the working fluid in the capsule has been used up, the pusher with a lateral grip, the empty capsule, is transferred back to the empty cell of the store. Then the store shifts the position of the cells. The capture then removes the next full capsule from the store cell, moves and inserts it into the ERE and so on. Cycles can be repeated until full use of the working fluid. This mechanism for moving the working fluid, controlled from the CC, is similar to the devices for changing the cutting tool used in modern machining centers.

Information sources

1. Encyclopedia "Cosmonautics", edited by V.P. Glushko. Moscow. "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1985.

Claims (9)

1. A device for feeding a dusty working fluid to an electric rocket engine containing a capsule for storing a dusty working fluid and a mechanism for moving the working fluid, characterized in that the dusty working fluid is stored in one or more capsules placed in the store, and a mechanism for moving the dusty working fluid of the body is made in such a way that it has the ability to remove the capsule from the cell of the store and push the capsule into the accelerating space of the electric rocket engine and push the capsule back from the accelerating space of an electric rocket engine; wherein the capsule for storing a dusty working fluid has a shell of dielectric material, a bottom and a quick-release lid, which has the ability to discharge near the first, along the moving dusty working fluid, accelerating electrode of an electric rocket engine. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the magazine has a drive allowing the magazine to shift the position of the cells in such a way that the position of the next cell exactly matches the position of the previous cell, and the mechanism for moving the dust-like working fluid contains a pusher and stationary relative to the accelerating electrodes of the electric rocket engine guide, and the pusher has the ability to engage and disengage from the bottom of the capsule and move along its axis coinciding with one of the axes of the store cell and the direction installed along the axis of the electric rocket engine. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that part or all of its outer surface to the accelerating electrodes of the electric rocket engine has a shielding (conductive) coating. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the deaf bottom of the capsule for storing a dusty working fluid has a conductive element or the deaf bottom of the capsule is completely made of a conductor. 5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dielectric shell of the capsule for storing a dusty working fluid is made of a material that is transparent to ionizing radiation. 6. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the magazine cell is used as a guide. 7. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the pusher guide is used as the guide channel due to the rigid connection of the capsule with the pusher. 8. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that in the electric propulsion engine uses one capsule and the store is combined functionally with the guide or absent. 9. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the magazine has a drive that allows the magazine to shift the position of the cells in such a way that the position of the next cell exactly matches the position of the previous cell, and the mechanism for moving the dusty working medium contains a pusher with a side grip, and when In this case, the pusher has the ability to move along its axis, and the lateral grip - rotate around the axis of the pusher and, catching on the bottom of the capsule, push the capsule out of the store cell, and push the capsule into the accelerating space of the electrora kettle engine, and push the capsule back out of the accelerating space of the electric rocket engine.

Images