Large-flow gas pressure reduction control device and method

Abstract

The invention provides a large-flow gas pressure reduction control device and method. The control device comprises at least one control valve I, an upstream pipeline is connected with a high-pressure gas storage device, a downstream pipeline is connected with a heatable throttling device, and connection and disconnection of a gas transmission pipeline between the high-pressure gas storage device and a low-pressure gas storage device are controlled; the upstream pipeline is connected with the control valve I, the downstream pipeline is connected with the low-pressure gas storage device, and the fluid flow hole diameter of the heatable throttling device is smaller than or equal to the inner diameter of a flow channel of the control valve, so that gas throttling occurs at the heatable throttling device; and an upstream pipeline of the pressure sensor is connected with the low-pressure gas storage device and is used for monitoring the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device. The heatable throttling device is additionally arranged on the downstream of the control valve, the pressure reduction throttling heat absorption process of large-flow gas is moved to the heatable throttling hole, and the problem that large-flow pressure reduction control cannot be conducted due to the cooling-temperature returning defect of the control valve is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of pressure reduction control, and in particular relates to a pressure reduction control device and method for a large flow gas such as xenon (Xe) gas. Background Art

[0002] The Hall electric thruster is a typical magnetic confinement plasma discharge device with the advantages of high specific impulse, simple structure, and reliable system. The Hall thruster is installed at the center of mass of the satellite to provide thrust to the satellite. The satellite is initially orbited, the orbit is maintained during its life, and the orbit is avoided when encountering space debris to ensure the safety of the satellite and the space orbit. At the end of the satellite's life, the orbit is lowered to make it fall into the atmosphere. Low-orbit satellites generally use momentum wheels and magnetic bar unloading schemes for attitude control, but in the early stage of satellite entry into orbit, attitude control engines (cold air thrusters) are required for rapid de-rotation and attitude control in the event of a satellite failure. Considering that electric propulsion uses Xe gas as a working fluid, the Hall electric thruster will be equipped with a Xe gas high-pressure cylinder, so the attitude control engine is generally equipped with a Xe gas cold air system as an attitude control propulsion system. The advantage of the Xe gas cold air system is that it can be shared with the propellant of the electric propulsion system to improve the total impulse capability of the system. However, since the electric propulsion high-pressure gas cylinder contains high-pressure Xe gas, due to the unique physical properties of Xe gas, the large-flow xenon gas decompression process is accompanied by a throttling and heat absorption process, which will cause the downstream valve temperature to drop rapidly. In order to ensure that the valve works within a safe temperature range, it is necessary to wait for several minutes after a single pulse of inflation to allow the valve temperature to rise, which makes the system's inflation efficiency low and cannot meet the large-flow decompression requirements. In particular, in the event of a satellite failure in orbit, the Xe gas cooling system cannot function in time. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the problem of being unable to perform large-flow decompression control due to the cooling-reheating disadvantages of the decompression control process of gases such as Xe, the inventors have conducted intensive research and provided a large-flow gas decompression control device and method to realize the decompression control process of large-flow gases such as Xe in satellite cooling systems.

[0004] The technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, a large flow gas pressure reduction control device comprises:

[0006] High-pressure gas storage device, used to store high-pressure gas, such as xenon, krypton, etc.;

[0007] At least one control valve I, the upstream pipeline is connected to the high-pressure gas storage device, the downstream pipeline is connected to the heatable throttling device, and controls the on-off of the gas transmission pipeline from the high-pressure gas storage device to the low-pressure gas storage device;

[0008] A heatable throttling device, an upstream pipeline connected to a control valve I, a downstream pipeline connected to a low-pressure gas storage device, a fluid flow aperture of the heatable throttling device being smaller than or equal to an inner diameter of a flow channel of the control valve, so that gas throttling occurs at the heatable throttling device;

[0009] A low-pressure gas storage device, used for storing low-pressure gas provided by the high-pressure gas storage device;

[0010] The pressure sensor, whose upstream pipeline is connected to the low-pressure gas storage device, is used to monitor the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, the at least one control valve I is a high-pressure self-locking valve connected in series.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, the heatable throttling device is connected to the upstream and downstream gas transmission pipelines by threaded connection or welding.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, a heating plate is attached to the heatable throttling device, and the heating plate is an electric heating plate.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, the distance between the heatable throttling device and the control valve I closest upstream is ≥10 mm.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, the large-flow gas pressure reduction control device also includes a filling and discharging valve, whose upstream pipeline is connected to the low-pressure gas storage device, which is used for emptying, replacing and filling the gas in the low-pressure gas storage device under ground conditions.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, the large-flow gas pressure reduction control device also includes a control unit, which is used to control the on and off of all valves and monitor the temperature of the heatable throttling device through a temperature sensor.

[0017] In a second aspect, a large flow Xe gas decompression control method comprises:

[0018] Before the aircraft is launched, the control valve I is closed, the filling and discharging valve is opened, and the downstream valve of the low-pressure gas storage device is closed to complete the gas emptying, replacement and filling of the low-pressure gas storage device;

[0019] After entering orbit, the attitude control engine will first be operated using the propulsion gas provided by the low-pressure gas storage device;

[0020] When the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device drops to the lower limit threshold, the gas replenishment process is started;

[0021] Keep the addition and discharge valve and the valve downstream of the low-pressure gas storage device closed, and implement the transmission and pressure reduction control of the high-pressure gas from the high-pressure gas storage device to the low-pressure gas storage device by simultaneously opening and closing at least one control valve I;

[0022] Monitor the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device through a pressure sensor to ensure that the charging pressure does not exceed the maximum pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device;

[0023] The low-pressure gas storage device completes gas replenishment and closes control valve I.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in the gas replenishment process, the switching cycle of the control valve I is fixed in duration, and the heat absorption of a single gas decompression is less than or equal to the heating amount of the throttle hole in a single cycle.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, during the air replenishment process, the switch of the control valve I is controlled in real time by the control unit according to the real-time temperature of the heatable throttling device.

[0026] A large flow gas pressure reduction control device and method provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) The present invention provides a large-flow gas decompression control device and method, in which a heatable throttling device is installed downstream of the control valve to separate the valve control from the throttling process, and the decompression throttling endothermic process of a large-flow gas such as Xe gas is moved to the heatable throttling device to ensure the safety of the valve switch;

[0028] (2) The present invention provides a large-flow gas decompression control device and method, in which the heating throttling device is designed to have a large surface area, and a high-power heating sheet is attached to control its temperature, thereby realizing an efficient heating process, which is beneficial to the decompression control of large-flow gas such as Xe gas;

[0029] (3) The present invention provides a large-flow gas decompression control device and method. Since the heatable throttling device has a simple structure, it can withstand lower operating temperatures, thereby reducing the waiting time for the downstream control valve to return to temperature, increasing the decompression rate of gases such as Xe gas, and realizing large-flow gas such as Xe gas decompression control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a large-flow gas pressure reduction control device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following detailed description of the present invention will make the features and advantages of the present invention more clear and explicit.

[0032] The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, example, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0033] During the decompression process of Xe gas, throttling and heat absorption will occur from high pressure to low pressure, resulting in a decrease in the temperature of the control valve and a decrease in the decompression rate. Therefore, it is proposed to add a heatable throttling device downstream of the control valve to move the decompression throttling and heat absorption process of the large flow Xe gas to the heatable throttling device. The throttling device is designed to have a large surface area, and a high-power heating plate is attached to control its temperature. At the same time, due to the simple structure of the throttling device, it can withstand lower operating temperatures, thereby reducing the waiting time for the downstream control valve to return to temperature, increasing the Xe gas decompression rate, and realizing large-flow xenon gas decompression control.

[0034] The present invention provides a large flow gas such as xenon pressure reduction control device such as Figure 1 As shown, including:

[0035] A high-pressure gas storage device (a high-pressure xenon gas storage device) is used to store high-pressure xenon gas (for use in a power supply propulsion system). The high-pressure xenon gas storage device may be a high-pressure xenon gas cylinder, etc. In the present invention, high pressure refers to a gas pressure ≥5MPa;

[0036] At least one control valve I, such as two high-pressure self-locking valves CP-HLV1 and CP-HLV2 connected in series, with an upstream pipeline connected to a high-pressure xenon gas storage device and a downstream pipeline connected to a heatable throttling device OR, to control the on-off of the xenon gas transmission pipeline from the high-pressure xenon gas storage device to the low-pressure xenon gas storage device;

[0037] A heatable throttling device OR, an upstream pipeline connected to a control valve I, a downstream pipeline connected to a low-pressure xenon gas storage device, a fluid flow aperture of the heatable throttling device being smaller than or equal to an inner diameter of a flow channel of the control valve, ensuring that xenon gas throttling occurs at the heatable throttling device;

[0038] A low-pressure gas storage device (low-pressure xenon storage device) is used to store low-pressure xenon gas (for use by cold air thrusters) provided by a high-pressure xenon storage device. The high-pressure xenon storage device can be a low-pressure xenon gas cylinder, etc. The low-pressure xenon storage device is branched and controlled by a control valve II such as a high-pressure self-locking valve CP-HLV3, and a xenon cold air attitude control engine is connected in parallel downstream according to demand. In the present invention, low pressure refers to a pressure ≤3MPa.

[0039] The pressure sensor LPT1, the upstream pipeline of which is connected to the low-pressure xenon gas storage device, is used to monitor the pressure of the low-pressure xenon gas storage device;

[0040] The filling and discharging valve M, with its upstream pipeline connected to a low-pressure xenon gas storage device, is used for emptying, replacing and filling the gas in the low-pressure xenon gas storage device under ground conditions.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the heatable throttling device also serves as a pipeline transition section structure, such as a barrel section transition structure, which is connected to the upstream and downstream xenon gas transmission pipelines through threads, and of course can also be connected by other means such as welding.

[0042] A heating plate is attached to the heatable throttling device. The heating plate is an electric heating plate or a phase change material heating plate, etc., preferably an electric heating plate.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the distance between the heatable throttling device and the control valve I closest upstream is ≥10 mm, so as to avoid the temperature reduction of the control valve I due to heat conduction.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the large-flow xenon gas pressure reduction control device also includes a control unit, which is used to control the on and off of the control valve I, the addition and exhaust valve M and the control valve II, and monitor the temperature of the heatable throttling device through a temperature sensor.

[0045] The control method using the large flow xenon gas pressure reduction control device comprises:

[0046] Before the launch of the aircraft, control valve I (such as CP-HLV1+CP-HLV2) is closed, control valve II (such as CP-HLV3) is closed, and filling and exhaust valve M is opened to complete the emptying, replacement and filling of the low-pressure xenon gas storage device;

[0047] After entering orbit, the attitude control engine (cold air thruster) is first operated using xenon gas from the low-pressure xenon gas storage device;

[0048] When the pressure of the low-pressure xenon gas storage device drops to a lower threshold value, such as below 0.5Mpa, the gas replenishment process is started;

[0049] Keep the addition and discharge valve M and the control valve II closed, and realize the large flow pressure reduction control of high-pressure xenon gas from the high-pressure xenon gas storage device to the low-pressure xenon gas storage device by opening and closing at least one control valve I at the same time; the switching cycle of the control valve I is designed for a fixed time according to the heating power of the heatable throttling device and the upstream and downstream pressure difference, to ensure that the heat absorption of the single xenon gas pressure reduction is less than or equal to the heating amount of the throttling hole in a single cycle, or use the control unit to perform real-time control according to the real-time temperature of the heatable throttling device, open the control valve I after the temperature of the heatable throttling device is ≥ T1, and close the control valve I after the temperature of the heatable throttling device is ≤ T2 (the lowest tolerance temperature of the control valve I);

[0050] Monitor the pressure of the low-pressure xenon gas storage device through LPT1 to ensure that the charging pressure does not exceed the maximum pressure of the low-pressure xenon gas storage device;

[0051] The low-pressure xenon gas storage device completes the gas replenishment and closes the control valve I; the cold air system has the ability to work on orbit and controls the attitude control engines (cold air thrusters) 1~N to output thrust according to the attitude control requirements.

[0052] The present invention has been described in detail above in conjunction with specific implementations and exemplary examples, but these descriptions cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, a variety of equivalent substitutions, modifications or improvements may be made to the technical solution of the present invention and its implementation methods, all of which fall within the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

[0053] The contents not described in detail in the specification of the present invention belong to the common knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A large flow gas pressure reduction control device, characterized in that: include: A high-pressure gas storage device, used for storing high-pressure gas; At least one control valve I, the upstream pipeline is connected to the high-pressure gas storage device, the downstream pipeline is connected to the heatable throttling device, and controls the on-off of the gas transmission pipeline from the high-pressure gas storage device to the low-pressure gas storage device; A heatable throttling device, an upstream pipeline connected to a control valve I, a downstream pipeline connected to a low-pressure gas storage device, a fluid flow aperture of the heatable throttling device being smaller than or equal to an inner diameter of a flow channel of the control valve, so that gas throttling occurs at the heatable throttling device; A low-pressure gas storage device, used for storing low-pressure gas provided by the high-pressure gas storage device; The pressure sensor, whose upstream pipeline is connected to the low-pressure gas storage device, is used to monitor the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device.

2. The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The at least one control valve I is a high-pressure self-locking valve connected in series.

3. The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heatable throttling device is connected to the upstream and downstream gas transmission pipelines through threaded connection or welding.

4. The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heating plate is pasted on the heatable throttling device, and the heating plate is an electric heating plate.

5. The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the heatable throttling device and the control valve I closest upstream is ≥10 mm.

6. The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The large-flow gas pressure reduction control device also includes a filling and discharging valve, an upstream pipeline of which is connected to the low-pressure gas storage device and is used for emptying, replacing and filling the gas in the low-pressure gas storage device under ground conditions.

7. The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The large-flow gas pressure reduction control device also includes a control unit, which is used to control the on and off of all valves and monitor the temperature of the heatable throttling device through a temperature sensor.

8. A large flow gas pressure reduction control method, characterized in that: The large flow gas pressure reduction control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 comprises: Before the aircraft is launched, the control valve I is closed, the filling and discharging valve is opened, and the downstream valve of the low-pressure gas storage device is closed to complete the gas emptying, replacement and filling of the low-pressure gas storage device; After entering orbit, the attitude control engine will first be operated using the propulsion gas provided by the low-pressure gas storage device; When the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device drops to the lower limit threshold, the gas replenishment process is started; Keep the addition and discharge valve and the valve downstream of the low-pressure gas storage device closed, and implement the transmission and pressure reduction control of the high-pressure gas from the high-pressure gas storage device to the low-pressure gas storage device by simultaneously opening and closing at least one control valve I; Monitor the pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device through a pressure sensor to ensure that the charging pressure does not exceed the maximum pressure of the low-pressure gas storage device; The low-pressure gas storage device completes gas replenishment and closes control valve I.

9. The large flow gas pressure reduction control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the gas replenishment process, the switch cycle of the control valve I is fixed in duration, and the heat absorption of a single gas decompression is less than or equal to the heating amount of the throttle hole in a single cycle.

10. The large flow gas pressure reduction control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the air supply process, the switch of the control valve I is controlled in real time by the control unit according to the real-time temperature of the heatable throttling device.

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