WO2010036291A2 - Système de propulsion multimode liquide ionique - Google Patents

Système de propulsion multimode liquide ionique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010036291A2
WO2010036291A2 PCT/US2009/003732 US2009003732W WO2010036291A2 WO 2010036291 A2 WO2010036291 A2 WO 2010036291A2 US 2009003732 W US2009003732 W US 2009003732W WO 2010036291 A2 WO2010036291 A2 WO 2010036291A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
thruster
ionic liquid
electrospray
propulsion system
chemical
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2009/003732
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English (en)
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WO2010036291A3 (fr
WO2010036291A4 (fr
Inventor
Kristi H. De Grys
Alfred C. Wilson
Original Assignee
Aerojet-General Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Aerojet-General Corporation filed Critical Aerojet-General Corporation
Publication of WO2010036291A2 publication Critical patent/WO2010036291A2/fr
Publication of WO2010036291A3 publication Critical patent/WO2010036291A3/fr
Publication of WO2010036291A4 publication Critical patent/WO2010036291A4/fr

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
    • F03H1/0006—Details applicable to different types of plasma thrusters
    • F03H1/0012—Means for supplying the propellant
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64G—COSMONAUTICS; VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64G1/00—Cosmonautic vehicles
    • B64G1/22—Parts of, or equipment specially adapted for fitting in or to, cosmonautic vehicles
    • B64G1/40—Arrangements or adaptations of propulsion systems
    • B64G1/401—Liquid propellant rocket engines
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64G—COSMONAUTICS; VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64G1/00—Cosmonautic vehicles
    • B64G1/22—Parts of, or equipment specially adapted for fitting in or to, cosmonautic vehicles
    • B64G1/40—Arrangements or adaptations of propulsion systems
    • B64G1/402—Propellant tanks; Feeding propellants
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64G—COSMONAUTICS; VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64G1/00—Cosmonautic vehicles
    • B64G1/22—Parts of, or equipment specially adapted for fitting in or to, cosmonautic vehicles
    • B64G1/40—Arrangements or adaptations of propulsion systems
    • B64G1/405—Ion or plasma engines

Definitions

  • a multi-mode satellite propulsion system has a high thrust chemical rocket and a high specific impulse electric rocket both operating off a single propellant.
  • the most commonly used and highest performance multi-mode satellite propulsion system includes a catalytic monopropellant thruster and an arcjet, both operating on hydrazine.
  • This state of the art system is limited in several ways.
  • the efficiency and specific impulse of electrothermal rockets is inherently limited to 30% to 40% by thermodynamic processes and materials. Electrostatic and electromagnetic devices can provide much higher specific impulse but cannot operate efficiently on hydrazine due to the low molecular weight of the decomposition gases.
  • the performance of the chemical thruster is also limited by the thermodynamic properties of hydrazine. Hydrazine is also toxic and requires special handling provisions.
  • 2003/0226750 Al discloses an electrospray apparatus as a microthruster for a spacecraft. A fine spray of highly charged droplets is expelled from a fine bore tube. The mass- charge ratios of the electrosprayed droplets are sufficiently high for their electrostatic acceleration to provide greater thrust at lower energy than can the ions of heavy elements that are traditional propellants for ion rockets.
  • the disclosure of US 2003/0226750 Al is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
  • Electrospray thrusters can achieve efficiencies greater than 80% providing significantly more velocity change ( ⁇ V) capability for a given mass of propellant.
  • ionic liquids are non-toxic making them more environmentally friendly and reducing the need for special handling and procedures during propellant loading. Ionic liquids also offer the potential for higher chemical engine performance than can be achieved with hydrazine.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a chemical thruster for use in the multi-mode propulsion system described herein.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an electrospray thruster module for use in the multi- mode propulsion system described herein.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates an array of electrospray thruster modules.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates hardware components of the multi-mode propulsion system.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates electrical components of the multi-mode propulsion system.
  • FIG. 1 shows a high performance chemical thruster 10 as a component of a multi-mode propulsion system as described herein.
  • Fuel tank 12 stores an ionic liquid monopropellant 14 under a pressurized gas 16, such as helium.
  • a conduit 18 communicates the ionic liquid monopropellant to both the chemical thruster 10 and to an electrospray thruster (not illustrated in FIG. 1 , but described hereinbelow).
  • a valve 20 controls the flow of ionic liquid propellant 14 into the chemical thruster 10.
  • ionic liquid propellant 14 flows through an injector 22 that uniformly disperses the liquid through an internal volume of the chemical thruster 10.
  • the internal volume is filled with a catalytic material or thermal bed to promote decomposition and surrounded by a heater 24 or other energy source such as microwave increases the temperature of the bed, typically in excess of 70° to promote decomposition when ionic liquid monopropellant contacts the bed 26.
  • the decomposition products generate a large volume of high temperature gas which is compressed through throat 30 and then rapidly expanded in nozzle 32 generating thrust.
  • the chemical thruster 10 generates thrust of greater than 1 Newton (N).
  • the propellant must be energetic and it is desired to have the following properties:
  • Suitable monopropellants are believed to include: l-Ethyl-3-
  • the traditional approach to monopropellant chemical thrusters has been to use a noble metal catalyst.
  • the current preferred catalyst is an iridium metal on an alumina carrier. While catalytic ignition is a baseline approach, alternate ignition approaches such as microwave may be utilized. Alternatively, a bipropellant approach using ionic liquids for both a fuel and an oxidizer could be adopted.
  • Another challenge of higher performance monopropellant thrusters is finding lightweight materials that can withstand a temperature and chemical environments without degrading.
  • Preferred materials for the chemical thruster 10 components are nickel alloys, carbon-carbon and silicon carbide composites, and noble metals and noble metal coatings such as molybdenum, rhenium and iridium.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an electrospray thruster 34 that receives ionic liquid monopropellant 14 from the fuel tank and is a second component of the multi-mode propulsion system.
  • the electrospray thruster 34 has a porous metal preferably tungsten base etched or machined to have at least one, and preferably a plurality of emitters 38 in a two dimensional array.
  • the porous matrix and the emitters 38 wick the ionic liquid propellant 14 via capillary action from an upstream header 40 to a downstream end 60.
  • An electrically insulating spacer 44 such as Teflon, separates the emitters 38 from an extractor grid 46.
  • a voltage applied between the extractor grid and the porous metal emitters pulls the ionic liquid from the emitters as a fine mist of electrically charged particles.
  • An electrically non-conductive spacer 50 separates the extractor grid 46 from a downstream decelerator grid 52. Electric power is provided to the holder bars 36 by line 54, to the extractor grid 46 by line 56, and to the decelerator grid 52 by line 58.
  • Emitter 38 is formed from any material effective to form particles of ionic liquid at the surface adjacent gap 42 and to impart each of those particles with an electric charge.
  • the emitter 38 is formed from porous tungsten where downstream surface 60 is electrochemically etched to form a series of volcano shaped protrusions.
  • Initial testing of porous tungsten substrate emitters has demonstrated pure ion emission with no droplet formation and emission currents per emitter exceeding one micro-amp per emitter and demonstrated that emission currents of 2-3 ⁇ A per emitter should be achievable.
  • An emitter density of 2 tips / mm 2 or higher should be achievable by electrochemical etching such that a one kilowatt thruster would have a size of approximately 41 centimeters x 41 centimeters.
  • An electrospray thruster 34 of the type illustrated in FIG. 2 generates between approximately 50 W and 100 W of power.
  • a plurality of thrusters 34 may be arranged in a grid to generate a target power level.
  • Propellant flow to the grid may be controlled by a single common valve.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a concept of a one kilowatt thruster formed by an array of 18 55 W thrusters. This modular design approach enables a broad range of future thruster power levels with the simple addition or removal of modules to adjust power capability.
  • a fifty emitter source operating on EMI-BF 4 propellant (l-ethyl-3- methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate) has demonstrated an efficiency in excess of 80% at a specific impulse of 3,500 seconds.
  • the high efficiency of an electrospray thruster results from the low ion creation energy (6-7 eV) and narrow ion beam energy distribution (full width half maximum of 7 eV) which minimize grid impingement and cosine losses.
  • the propellant mass in Table 1 of the Example that follows shows Mission 3 based on an efficiency of about 85% at 1,900 second I sp .
  • a propulsion device operating efficiently in the range of 700 to 1,000 sec is desired because it can provide high thrust to power at relatively high specific impulse. It has been demonstrated that with a single emitter electrospray source that the ion beam velocity can be decelerated to specific impulses as low as 550 seconds while maintaining a confined beam (approximately 10% of ions lost due to impingement). Through design of grids and careful alignment, similar results can be achieved with multi-emitter sources.
  • the propellant mass shown in Table 1 for Mission 4 is based on achieving an efficiency of 75% at 1,000 second I sp .
  • Alternating polarity also eliminates the electrochemical reactions that have limited emitter lifetime in electrospray thrusters to a few hours.
  • An electrospray source with EMI-BF 4 has been operated for an excess of 200 hours with no degradation.
  • Grid erosion is expected to be minimal as well due to the lack of charge exchange ions which contribute to the majority of erosion in gridded ion engines and minimal grid impingement. As the potentially life limiting mechanisms have been addressed, the life capability of electrospray thrusters should exceed thousands of hours.
  • the ionic liquid propellant should have certain desired properties:
  • FIG. 4 illustrates the hardware for the multi-mode propulsion system 62 described herein.
  • the multi-mode propulsion system includes a propellant storage tank, a propellant feed system for delivering propellant from the tank to the thrusters, two primary propulsion chemical thrusters, one electrospray thruster, and eight chemical thrusters for attitude control.
  • Valves controlling the flow of ionic liquid monopropellant 14 include latch valves 64 and solenoid valves 68.
  • Filter 74 removes extraneous material from the ionic liquid monopropellant 14.
  • a heater 76 insures that the ionic liquid monopropellant 14 stays in a liquid state by communicating with temperature sensor 78.
  • Pressure transducers 80 monitor the flow of ionic liquid.
  • service valves 66 Prior to operation, service valves 66 are used to charge the system with ionic liquid monopropellant 14 and pressurized gas 16.
  • Latch valve 64 located in a tank isolation module 82 are used to prevent propellant leaks of the system during launch and non-operational periods.
  • Solenoid valves 68 direct the ionic liquid monopropellant 14 to desired thrusters 10, 34, the chemical thrusters 10 providing a high thrust option for time sensitive maneuvers and the electrospray thruster 34 providing a high efficiency option for maximum maneuvering capability. Because both types of thrusters 10, 34 operate off a single propellant, either type of thruster 10, 34 can be used depending on the needs of the mission.
  • FIG. 5 overlays the electrical systems of the multimode propulsion system 62.
  • the bulk of the power 84 is spacecraft power, typically generated from a solar array.
  • a battery 86 such as a lithium ion battery is provided as a backup or for maneuvers during an eclipse.
  • Spacecraft telemetry/command interface 88 sends signals to a control unit module 90 that controls solenoid valves 68 so that the proper valves are opened.
  • Power line 56 provides power to the extractor grid and power line 58 provides power to the decelerator grid to control electrospray thruster 34 output. Activation of solenoid valves 68 controls the chemical thrusters 10.
  • Table 1 compares the performance of the herein described multi-mode propulsion system to the baseline current state of the art.
  • the baseline values are actual, while the multi-mode system values are prophetic, based on Applicants' calculations.
  • Table 1 illustrates the herein described propulsion system will provide a 40% reduction in propulsion system mass over the current state of the art technology.
  • the Table also illustrates that for some sample of missions, the herein described propulsion system will have a substantial mass saving.
  • the electrospray thruster enables this type of mass savings and maximum flexibility because of its ability to operate efficiently over a range of specific impulse from 700-2,000 seconds. Its module nature enables easy scaling for higher or lower power operation.
  • the use of an ionic liquid as the propellant also provides significant advantages. Ionic liquids are non-toxic and require no special handling or storage.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma Technology (AREA)
  • Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

Un système de propulsion de satellite comprend un propulseur monergol chimique permettant d'obtenir une poussée importante pour une manœuvre rapide et un propulseur à électronébulisation permettant d'obtenir une impulsion spécifique importante. Les deux propulseurs fonctionnent à distance d'un propergol liquide ionique unique distribué à partir d'un réservoir de carburant commun, une série de soupapes actionnées électriquement commandant la distribution du propergol.
PCT/US2009/003732 2008-06-20 2009-06-22 Système de propulsion multimode liquide ionique WO2010036291A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US7448908P 2008-06-20 2008-06-20
US61/074,489 2008-06-20

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WO2010036291A3 WO2010036291A3 (fr) 2010-05-20
WO2010036291A4 WO2010036291A4 (fr) 2010-09-02

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Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20150042127A (ko) * 2013-10-10 2015-04-20 더 보잉 컴파니 이온 추진 시스템에서 추진제 전송의 추정을 위한 방법들 및 시스템들
US20160200457A1 (en) * 2015-01-14 2016-07-14 Ventions, Llc Small satellite propulsion system
WO2017160375A3 (fr) * 2015-12-31 2017-10-26 The Curators Of The University Of Missouri Propulseur électrique/chimique utilisant le même monoergol et procédé associé
CN109606742A (zh) * 2019-01-31 2019-04-12 北京控制工程研究所 一种宽推力调节范围的混合模式离子液体推进系统及方法
US10336475B1 (en) 2015-11-10 2019-07-02 Space Systems/Loral, Llc Flexible propulsion system
EP3620646A1 (fr) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-11 Airbus Defence and Space Limited Agent propulseur
WO2020049091A1 (fr) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-12 Airbus Defence And Space Limited Système de propulsion
JP2020100521A (ja) * 2018-12-20 2020-07-02 東芝三菱電機産業システム株式会社 オゾンガス利用システム
WO2022046721A3 (fr) * 2020-08-24 2022-05-05 Accion Systems, Inc. Appareil propulseur
WO2022139942A1 (fr) * 2020-12-21 2022-06-30 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Propulsion dans l'espace à fonctionnement bimodal chimique-électrique
CN115684777A (zh) * 2022-10-18 2023-02-03 兰州空间技术物理研究所 一种中高功率离子推力器联试试验方法
EP4115082A4 (fr) * 2020-05-08 2024-03-06 Orbion Space Tech Inc Système de propulsion pour engin spatial

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US3807657A (en) * 1972-01-31 1974-04-30 Rca Corp Dual thrust level monopropellant spacecraft propulsion system
US5263666A (en) * 1988-12-16 1993-11-23 General Electric Co. Spacecraft with increased stationkeeping fuel load
US6135393A (en) * 1997-11-25 2000-10-24 Trw Inc. Spacecraft attitude and velocity control thruster system
US6609363B1 (en) * 1999-08-19 2003-08-26 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force Iodine electric propulsion thrusters
US20060283171A1 (en) * 2004-09-03 2006-12-21 Metcalfe Tristram W Iii Charged particle thrust engine
US20080083335A1 (en) * 2006-07-26 2008-04-10 Hruby Vladimir J Liquid degasser for a space device

Patent Citations (6)

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US3807657A (en) * 1972-01-31 1974-04-30 Rca Corp Dual thrust level monopropellant spacecraft propulsion system
US5263666A (en) * 1988-12-16 1993-11-23 General Electric Co. Spacecraft with increased stationkeeping fuel load
US6135393A (en) * 1997-11-25 2000-10-24 Trw Inc. Spacecraft attitude and velocity control thruster system
US6609363B1 (en) * 1999-08-19 2003-08-26 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force Iodine electric propulsion thrusters
US20060283171A1 (en) * 2004-09-03 2006-12-21 Metcalfe Tristram W Iii Charged particle thrust engine
US20080083335A1 (en) * 2006-07-26 2008-04-10 Hruby Vladimir J Liquid degasser for a space device

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20150042127A (ko) * 2013-10-10 2015-04-20 더 보잉 컴파니 이온 추진 시스템에서 추진제 전송의 추정을 위한 방법들 및 시스템들
KR102111173B1 (ko) 2013-10-10 2020-05-15 더 보잉 컴파니 이온 추진 시스템에서 추진제 전송의 추정을 위한 방법들 및 시스템들
US20160200457A1 (en) * 2015-01-14 2016-07-14 Ventions, Llc Small satellite propulsion system
US10940961B2 (en) * 2015-01-14 2021-03-09 Ventions, Llc Small satellite propulsion system
US10336475B1 (en) 2015-11-10 2019-07-02 Space Systems/Loral, Llc Flexible propulsion system
WO2017160375A3 (fr) * 2015-12-31 2017-10-26 The Curators Of The University Of Missouri Propulseur électrique/chimique utilisant le même monoergol et procédé associé
US10180118B2 (en) 2015-12-31 2019-01-15 The Curators Of The University Of Missouri Electrical/chemical thruster using the same monopropellant and method
EP3620646A1 (fr) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-11 Airbus Defence and Space Limited Agent propulseur
WO2020049091A1 (fr) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-12 Airbus Defence And Space Limited Système de propulsion
JP7154708B2 (ja) 2018-12-20 2022-10-18 東芝三菱電機産業システム株式会社 オゾンガス利用システム
JP2020100521A (ja) * 2018-12-20 2020-07-02 東芝三菱電機産業システム株式会社 オゾンガス利用システム
CN109606742A (zh) * 2019-01-31 2019-04-12 北京控制工程研究所 一种宽推力调节范围的混合模式离子液体推进系统及方法
EP4115082A4 (fr) * 2020-05-08 2024-03-06 Orbion Space Tech Inc Système de propulsion pour engin spatial
EP4114741A4 (fr) * 2020-05-08 2024-03-27 Orbion Space Tech Inc Système de propulsion pour engin spatial
EP4114739A4 (fr) * 2020-05-08 2024-04-10 Orbion Space Tech Inc Système de propulsion pour engin spatial
WO2022046721A3 (fr) * 2020-08-24 2022-05-05 Accion Systems, Inc. Appareil propulseur
WO2022139942A1 (fr) * 2020-12-21 2022-06-30 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Propulsion dans l'espace à fonctionnement bimodal chimique-électrique
CN115684777A (zh) * 2022-10-18 2023-02-03 兰州空间技术物理研究所 一种中高功率离子推力器联试试验方法
CN115684777B (zh) * 2022-10-18 2023-10-20 兰州空间技术物理研究所 一种中高功率离子推力器联试试验方法

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Publication number Publication date
WO2010036291A3 (fr) 2010-05-20
WO2010036291A4 (fr) 2010-09-02

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