Quick charge supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission

Abstract

The invention relates to a rapid charge supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, and belongs to the field of space charging and discharging. The bottom plate is of a plate-shaped structure which is horizontally arranged in the axial direction; the cathode is of a cylindrical structure; the cathodes are in coaxial butt joint; the anode is of a cylinder structure; the anode is coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the cathode; the root of the anode is butted with the bottom plate; the working medium sleeves the outer wall of the middle part of the anode and is filled between the cathode and the anode; the spring is sleeved on the outer wall of the anode root; one end of the spring is contacted with the bottom plate; one end of the spring contacts with the working medium end face; the insulating assembly is arranged at the opening of the axial head end of the cathode; two poles of the energy compression module are respectively connected with the cathode and the anode; the power supply is connected with the energy compression module to charge the energy compression module; a charge self-consistent cavity is formed on the outer side of the opening of the axial head end of the cathode; when the device is used for spacecraft pulse charge beam output, rapid supply in the pulse is achieved, and the spacecraft is kept electrically neutral in real time.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the field of space charge and discharge, and relates to a charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission. BACKGROUND

[0002] Under the high-orbit environment, if spacecraft releases electric charges, due to the relatively thin background plasma, if the peak value of the pulse charge release is too high, the spacecraft will be rapidly charged to a very high potential, so that the electric charges cannot leave the spacecraft, and even the on-orbit operation safety of the spacecraft is threatened.

[0003] The plasma source capable of providing electric charges includes various modes such as radio frequency, microwave and pulse plasma sources. The first two modes have the disadvantages of large volume, medium quality, complex structure and high cost. The pulse plasma source has the simple structure, but the traditional pulse plasma source is coaxial and has a positive and negative stage structure, so that a igniter and an ignition circuit are needed to induce the formation of plasma, which brings system complexity and is not conducive to time application.

[0004] At present, the traditional spacecraft structure potential in the field of charge and discharge at home and abroad has been studied to some extent, and is used to slow down the influence of the spacecraft charging effect. However, the application of the charge rapid supply mode for the pulse charge emission of high-orbit spacecraft has not been reported. SUMMARY

[0005] The technical problem solved by the application is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, and to provide a charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, which is used for realizing rapid supply in a pulse when the spacecraft pulse charge beam is emitted, and for keeping the spacecraft electrically neutral in real time.

[0006] The technical solution of the application is:

[0007] The charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission comprises a cathode, a working medium, an anode, a spring, a bottom plate, an energy compression module, a power supply and an insulation assembly.

[0008] The bottom plate is an axially horizontally placed plate structure; the cathode is a cylindrical structure; the cathode is coaxially connected with the cathode; the anode is a columnar structure; the anode is coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the cathode; the root of the anode is connected with the bottom plate; the working medium is sleeved on the outer wall of the middle part of the anode, and the working medium is filled between the cathode and the anode; the spring is sleeved on the outer wall of the root of the anode; one end of the spring is in contact with the bottom plate; one end of the spring is in contact with the end face of the working medium; the insulation assembly is arranged at the axially head end opening of the cathode; the two stages of the energy compression module are connected with the cathode and the anode respectively; the power supply is connected with the energy compression module to charge the energy compression module; and the outside of the axially head end opening of the cathode forms a charge self-consistent cavity.

[0009] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the inner wall of the cathode is provided with an arc-shaped protruding section and an outer expanding section; the arc-shaped protruding section is arranged at the axial outer end surface of the working medium; the outer expanding section is arranged at the axial outer side of the arc-shaped protruding section; the arc-shaped protruding section and the outer expanding section are linearly transitioned in profile.

[0010] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the anode, the cathode and the axial right end of the working medium form a cylindrical discharge chamber; the cylindrical discharge chamber is divided into two working areas by the junction of the arc-shaped protruding section and the outer expanding section; the axial left end of the junction of the arc-shaped protruding section and the outer expanding section is a breakdown plasma discharge area; the axial right end of the junction of the arc-shaped protruding section and the outer expanding section is an ejection area.

[0011] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the power supply is a low-voltage sawtooth wave pulse power supply, which provides a pulse sawtooth wave type waveform voltage and synchronously charges the energy compression module; the power supply and the energy compression module are at the same potential.

[0012] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, when the voltage provided by the power supply is high enough, the cathode and the anode form a short-pulse breakdown discharge; the plasma generated by the short-pulse breakdown discharge serves as a medium to conduct the cathode and the anode, so that the energy in the energy compression module is discharged in a very short time.

[0013] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the energy in the energy compression module is discharged in a time of μs order.

[0014] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the short-pulse breakdown discharge generated by the cathode and the anode induces the dissociation of the working medium; the working medium forms steam in the discharge area, and under the action of a strong electric field, self-breakdown discharge is generated to form a large current, and the working medium in the steam state generates a plasma, which is accelerated by the self-induction magnetic field of the cathode and the anode, and is ejected outward through the ejection area to form a plasma cloud.

[0015] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the duty ratio, peak voltage and waveform slope of the low-voltage sawtooth wave pulse power supply are controlled to realize the control of the operation of the charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission.

[0016] In the above-mentioned charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the nozzle at the axial end of the cathode is connected to the charge self-consistent cavity through an insulating component; the charge self-consistent cavity is at the same potential as the cathode, and the released plasma cloud quickly and adaptively collects charges with the change of the potential of the charge self-consistent cavity.

[0017] In the above-mentioned charge fast supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission, the insulating assembly has a labyrinth groove, which can avoid the attachment of plasma cloud to cause the conduction between the charge self-consistent cavity and the cathode while achieving electrical isolation.

[0018] The present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0019] (1) The present application can realize high-frequency pulse charge fast supply, has high efficiency, low power consumption, adjustable pulse frequency, wide adaptation range, simple structure and strong engineering application;

[0020] (2) The self-breakdown pulse plasma source of the present application is provided with an anode ring tip array and a cathode protrusion, and obtains a local strong electric field and a contraction space, and only through the control of the sawtooth wave pulse power supply, the plasma is obtained by self-breakdown under the energy given by the energy compression module;

[0021] (3) The present application is externally designed with a horn-shaped charge self-consistent cavity, so that it is at the same potential as the spacecraft shell, forms a space "suspended potential", and utilizes the electric field formed by the plasma potential and the suspended potential to quickly adapt in the plasma diffusion process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 The present application is a schematic diagram of a charge fast supply device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present application will be further described below in combination with examples.

[0024] The present application provides a charge fast supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission. For the plasma source in the device, a circular arc protrusion structure is added to the cathode 1 and an anode 3 ring tip is provided through special structure design, and the pitch is reasonably set to realize needle-plate type spark discharge. When the voltage between the anode 3 and the cathode 1 reaches a certain value, self-breakdown discharge can be realized, the ionized working medium 2 becomes plasma, and under the acceleration of the self-induction magnetic field and aerodynamic force formed by the transient large current, the plasma group is ejected outward to form a plasma cloud. The released plasma cloud quickly adapts to collect electrons in the charge self-consistent cavity 9 along with the change of the potential of the charge self-consistent cavity 9. The igniter and the corresponding ignition circuit are omitted, the complexity of the system is reduced, and the reliability is improved. In addition, only the duty ratio, waveform slope and peak value of the sawtooth wave pulse power supply 7 need to be set to realize the control of the entire spacecraft pulse charge emission charge fast supply device, especially the energy compression module 6 setting, which can obtain the high energy density required for short pulse discharge and reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the space pulse power supply 7.

[0025] The charge fast supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission is as follows: Figure 1As shown, specifically includes cathode 1, working medium 2, anode 3, spring 4, bottom plate 5, energy compression module 6, power supply 7 and insulation assembly 8. Among them, the bottom plate 5 is an axially horizontally placed plate structure; the cathode 1 is a cylindrical structure; the cathode 1 is coaxially connected with the cathode 1; the anode 3 is a column structure; the anode 3 is coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the cathode 1; the root of the anode 3 is connected with the bottom plate 5; the working medium 2 is sleeved on the outer wall of the middle part of the anode 3, and the working medium 2 is filled between the cathode 1 and the anode 3; the spring 4 is sleeved on the outer wall of the root of the anode 3; one end of the spring 4 is in contact with the bottom plate 5; one end of the spring 4 is in contact with the end face of the working medium 2; the insulation assembly 8 is arranged at the axial head end opening of the cathode 1; the two stages of the energy compression module 6 are connected with the cathode 1 and the anode 3 respectively; the power supply 7 is connected with the energy compression module 6 to realize charging of the energy compression module 6; the outside of the axial head end opening of the cathode 1 forms a charge self-consistent cavity 9.

[0026] The inner wall of the cathode 1 is provided with an arc-shaped protruding section 11 and an outer expansion section 12; the arc-shaped protruding section 11 is arranged at the axial outer end face of the working medium 2; the outer expansion section 12 is arranged at the axial outer side of the arc-shaped protruding section 11; the profile of the arc-shaped protruding section 11 and the outer expansion section 12 linearly transitions. The axial right end of the anode 3, the cathode 1 and the working medium 2 surrounds a cylindrical discharge chamber; the cylindrical discharge chamber is divided into two working areas with the junction of the arc-shaped protruding section 11 and the outer expansion section 12 as the boundary; among them, the axial left end of the junction of the arc-shaped protruding section 11 and the outer expansion section 12 is a breakdown plasma discharge area; the axial right end of the junction of the arc-shaped protruding section 11 and the outer expansion section 12 is a ejection area.

[0027] The power supply 7 is a low-voltage sawtooth pulse power supply, which provides a voltage in the form of a pulse sawtooth wave and synchronously charges the energy compression module 6; the power supply 7 and the energy compression module 6 are at the same potential.

[0028] When the voltage provided by the power supply 7 is high enough, the cathode 1 and the anode 3 form a short-pulse breakdown discharge, and the plasma generated by the short-pulse breakdown discharge serves as a medium to conduct the anode 3 and the cathode 1, so that the energy in the energy compression module 6 is discharged in a very short time. The energy in the energy compression module 6 is discharged in a time of μs order.

[0029] The short-pulse breakdown discharge generated by the cathode 1 and the anode 3 induces the working medium 2 to dissociate; the working medium 2 forms steam in the discharge area, generates self-breakdown discharge under the action of a strong electric field, forms a large current, and generates a plasma in the steam state of the working medium 2, the discharge plasma is accelerated by the self-induction magnetic field of the cathode 1 and the anode 3, and is ejected outward through the ejection area to form a plasma cloud.

[0030] By controlling the duty ratio, peak voltage and waveform slope of the low-voltage sawtooth pulse power supply 7, the working of the charge rapid supply device for spacecraft pulse charge emission is realized.

[0031] The spout at the axial end of the cathode 1 is connected with the charge self-consistent cavity 9 through the insulating assembly 8; the charge self-consistent cavity 9 is at the same potential as the cathode 1, and the released plasma cloud quickly self-adapts to collect charges with the change of the potential of the charge self-consistent cavity 9. The insulating assembly 8 has a labyrinthine ditch, which electrically isolates while avoiding the attachment of the plasma cloud to cause the charge self-consistent cavity 9 and the cathode 1 to be conductive.

[0032] The anode 3 of the present application has a ring-tipped sharp head, and the cathode 1 has a protrusion, which can form a local high field strength, and is beneficial to the realization of self-breakdown; in addition, the protrusion of the cathode 1, the anode 3 and the end face of the working medium 2 form a narrow contraction space, which is beneficial to the increase of the gas pressure after the working medium 2 is melted, and is beneficial to the full ionization of the working medium 2, thereby improving the charge supply capacity of the plasma source.

[0033] The power supply 7 outputs a waveform with a rising edge, synchronously charges the energy compression module 6 to about 800V, realizes energy compression, provides the required kilovolt-level breakdown high voltage and several kilo-ampere-level discharge current for the plasma source breakdown discharge, and avoids the engineering difficulties in the development of the aerospace high-power power supply 7; the energy compression module 6 is connected with the plasma source anode 3 and the cathode 1 at both ends, in order to realize self-breakdown below 800V, two aspects of work are carried out, one is to reduce the distance between the breakdown point of the anode 3 and the cathode 1 through matrix optimization test under the condition of the main distance between the anode 3 and the cathode 1 (the size of the working medium 2 is determined), to realize the reasonable setting of the distance, and the other is to transform the anode 3 electrode into a ring-tipped structure and increase the protrusion of the cathode 1, so that the greater the curvature, the higher the surface charge density, and the stronger the field strength near it, which is more easy to realize gas breakdown discharge. At the same time, under the blocking action of the protrusion structure of the cathode 1, the working medium 2 is more easy to realize the increase of the gas pressure after gasification, and then realize the suitable low gas pressure environment, form the condition of lower breakdown voltage, so as to obtain more sufficient ionization; further, the ring-tipped structure of the anode 3 is similar to a large number of tip arrangements, and at the same time, the arc-shaped protrusion of the cathode 1 also exists in the ring axis direction, which avoids the shortcomings of single-tip structure or single-protrusion easy corrosion and low service life, and improves the service life; and this structure has a very symmetrical and uniform local strong electric field, compared with the traditional parallel-plate plasma source structure without tip and protrusion, the breakdown voltage can be further reduced, and the lower breakdown voltage can weaken the instability under high-voltage discharge, thereby improving the overall discharge stability. Compared with the coaxial parallel-plate plasma source without the arc-shaped protrusion of the cathode 1 and the tip of the anode 3, the plasma source proposed in the present application can make the plasma source spout diameter larger, and can correspondingly provide larger volume of discharge plasma, thereby improving the charge output capacity.

[0034] Based on the above design, when the voltage applied to the anode 3 reaches a certain value, under the action of the strong electric field of the anode 3 ring-shaped tip and the cathode 1 ring-shaped protrusion, and benefiting from the contraction cavity formed by the cathode 1 protrusion, the anode 3 and the working medium 2, the gas self-breakdown discharge without an igniter is realized, the ionized working medium 2 becomes a plasma group which is sprayed from the nozzle under the driving of the self-induction magnetic field and the aerodynamic force formed by the transient large current, and the charge self-consistent cavity 9 is combined to realize the rapid charge supply.

[0035] The charge rapid supply device for the spacecraft pulse charge emission eliminates the igniter and the corresponding ignition circuit, reduces the complexity of the system, improves the reliability, and only needs one sawtooth wave pulse power supply 7 to realize the complete control of the device and obtain the required charge amount.

[0036] The main technical points of the present application are:

[0037] a. The cathode 1 is designed as an arc-shaped protrusion section 11 and the anode 3 ring-shaped tip structure, which can form a local strong electric field, and the distance between the tip and the protrusion is reasonably set through matrix optimization test to obtain a suitable breakdown voltage; the nozzle direction next to the cathode 1 protrusion is the cathode 1 outer expansion section structure, which can reduce the loss of the plasma group. The cathode 1 protrusion, the anode 3 and the working medium 2 end face constitute a plasma discharge area, which is contracted in space and is beneficial to the full ionization of the working medium 2, and then enters the transport area of the cathode 1 opening angle, and then sprays the plasma source body to form a plasma cloud which can provide charges.

[0038] b. The sawtooth wave power supply 7 is connected to the energy compression module 6 through a wire, and the module is non-polar, and the two electrodes thereof are connected to the anode 3 and the cathode 1 respectively.

[0039] c. During operation, firstly, the energy compression module 6 is charged to a voltage value of about 800V through the sawtooth wave power supply 7, and the two electrodes of the energy compression module 6 are connected to the anode 3 and the cathode 1 of the plasma source respectively, and there is a high voltage of about 800V between the cathode and the anode. Since the distance between the anode 3 ring tip and the cathode 1 protrusion is properly set, the field strength is sufficient to break down the gas, under the action of 800V, the working medium 2 is dissociated and ionized to form a plasma, which is sprayed outward under the action of electromagnetic force and aerodynamic force to form a plasma group. Since the working medium 2 is ablated, the working medium 2 is automatically pushed forward to the cathode 1 protrusion under the action of the spring 4 to complete the self-supply of the working medium 2.

[0040] This invention proposes a rapid charge replenishment device for pulsed charge emission in spacecraft. The device consists of an anode 3 with a ring tip structure and a cathode 1 with an arc-shaped protrusion and an outward expansion section. A spring 4 and the protrusion of the cathode 1 fix the working fluid 2, forming a device with self-breakdown discharge and self-supply of the working fluid 2. While maintaining the same performance, it achieves the goals of light weight, simple structure and high reliability.

[0041] This invention designs an energy compression module 6 and a self-breakdown plasma source. The rapid charge replenishment device can be controlled simply and conveniently using parameters such as pulse duty cycle, waveform peak value and slope of the sawtooth wave power supply 7, and can be used on a spacecraft platform.

[0042] An energy compression module 6 was set up to achieve energy compression, avoiding the need for the development of a space high-energy pulse power supply 7 and reducing the system complexity.

[0043] The plasma source anode 3 is equipped with a ring-shaped array and the cathode 1 is equipped with an arc-shaped protrusion, which realizes a local strong electric field. Compared with the traditional flat plate electrode, the breakdown voltage is reduced and self-breakdown is achieved. The igniter and ignition circuit components are eliminated, which greatly reduces the weight and complexity of the system and improves the stability of the system.

[0044] The use of a self-breakdown coaxial plasma source avoids complex igniters and ignition circuits, which is conducive to the integrated arraying of plasma sources and increases the supply of plasma charge.

[0045] A horn-shaped charge collection bucket was designed as a spatial "floating potential," which utilizes the electric field formed by the plasma potential and the floating potential to quickly adapt.

[0046] This invention eliminates the need for a complex ignition system (including ignition circuitry and igniter), significantly reducing size and weight while enhancing thrust reliability. Furthermore, the thruster structure of this invention is simple, highly reliable, and facilitates array integration in limited spaces, thereby improving rapid charge replenishment capabilities and enabling its widespread application in rapid charge replenishment for various platforms.

[0047] The purpose of this invention is to utilize the characteristics of pulsed plasma sources, such as easy ionization, low power consumption, easy miniaturization, and clustering and arraying, to easily generate plasma clouds with controllable parameters, and to configure a charge self-consistent cavity 9 with the same potential as the cathode 1, so as to rapidly replenish the charge as the structural potential fluctuates.

[0048] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention by utilizing the methods and techniques disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rapid charge replenishment device for pulsed charge emission from spacecraft, characterized in that: It includes a cathode (1), a working fluid (2), an anode (3), a spring (4), a base plate (5), an energy compression module (6), a power supply (7), and an insulation component (8); Among them, the base plate (5) is a plate-shaped structure placed horizontally in the axial direction; the cathode (1) is a cylindrical structure; the cathode (1) and the cathode (3) are coaxially connected; the anode (3) is a cylindrical structure; the anode (3) is coaxially set in the inner cavity of the cathode (1); the root of the anode (3) is connected to the base plate (5); the working medium (2) is fitted on the outer wall of the middle part of the anode (3), and the working medium (2) fills between the cathode (1) and the anode (3); the spring (4) is fitted on the outer wall of the root of the anode (3); one end of the spring (4) is in contact with the base plate (5); one end of the spring (4) is in contact with the end face of the working medium (2); the insulating component (8) is set at the axial head end opening of the cathode (1); the two stages of the energy compression module (6) are connected to the cathode (1) and the anode (3) respectively; the power supply (7) is connected to the energy compression module (6) to charge the energy compression module (6); a charge self-consistent cavity (9) is formed on the outside of the axial head end opening of the cathode (1).

2. The rapid charge replenishment device for spacecraft pulse charge emission according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the cathode (1) is provided with an arc-shaped protrusion section (11) and an outer expansion section (12); the arc-shaped protrusion section (11) is located at the axial outer end face of the working medium (2); the outer expansion section (12) is located on the axial outer side of the arc-shaped protrusion section (11); the arc-shaped protrusion section (11) and the outer expansion section (12) have a linear transition in shape.

3. The rapid charge replenishment device for pulsed charge emission in spacecraft according to claim 2, characterized in that: The anode (3), cathode (1), and working medium (2) form a cylindrical discharge chamber on the right axial side. The cylindrical discharge chamber is divided into two working areas by the boundary between the arc-shaped protrusion (11) and the outward expansion section (12). The left axial end of the boundary between the arc-shaped protrusion (11) and the outward expansion section (12) is the breakdown plasma discharge area. The right axial end of the boundary between the arc-shaped protrusion (11) and the outward expansion section (12) is the ejection area.

4. The rapid charge replenishment device for spacecraft pulse charge emission according to claim 3, characterized in that: The power supply (7) is a low-voltage sawtooth wave pulse power supply, which provides a voltage of pulse sawtooth wave waveform and charges the energy compression module (6) synchronously; the power supply (7) and the energy compression module (6) are at the same potential.

5. A rapid charge replenishment device for spacecraft pulse charge emission according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the voltage provided by the power supply (7) rises to a sufficiently high level, the cathode (1) and anode (3) form a short-pulse breakdown discharge. The plasma generated by the short-pulse breakdown discharge acts as a medium to conduct the anode (3) and cathode (1), so that the energy in the energy compression module (6) is discharged in a very short time.

6. A rapid charge replenishment device for pulsed charge emission in spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: The energy in the energy compression module (6) is released within a time interval on the order of μs.

7. A rapid charge replenishment device for pulsed charge emission in spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: The short-pulse breakdown discharge generated by the cathode (1) and anode (3) induces the dissociation of the working fluid (2); the working fluid (2) forms vapor in the discharge region, and under the action of a strong electric field, it generates self-breakdown discharge, forming a large current, and the working fluid (2) in the vapor state generates plasma discharge plasma. Under the acceleration of the self-induced magnetic field of the cathode (1) and anode (3), the discharge plasma is ejected outward through the ejection region to form a plasma cloud.

8. A rapid charge replenishment device for spacecraft pulse charge emission according to claim 7, characterized in that: By controlling the duty cycle, peak voltage, and waveform slope of the power supply (7) of the low-voltage sawtooth wave pulse, the rapid charge replenishment device for controlling the pulse charge emission of the spacecraft can be put into operation.

9. A rapid charge replenishment device for spacecraft pulse charge emission according to claim 7, characterized in that: The nozzle at the end of the cathode (1) is connected to the charge self-consistent cavity (9) through an insulating component (8); the charge self-consistent cavity (9) is at the same potential as the cathode (1), and the released plasma cloud rapidly and adaptively collects charge as the potential of the charge self-consistent cavity (9) changes.

10. A rapid charge replenishment device for spacecraft pulse charge emission according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating component (8) has a labyrinthine groove, which provides electrical isolation while also preventing plasma cloud adhesion from causing the charge self-consistent cavity (9) to conduct with the cathode (1).

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