A microthruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structural configuration of a field ionization thruster, and particularly to a micro-thruster based on electrolysis of a carbon nanotube microporous array. It includes a grid, a conductive ring, an insulating pressing ring, a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, a discharge chamber, and a cold pressing terminal. The carbon nanotube array microporous electrode is placed on the boss of the discharge chamber, and the conductive ring, the insulating pressing ring, and the grid are sequentially placed, and are fixed to the discharge chamber by bolts. The cold pressing terminal is fixed to the grid network by a fixing bolt. The thruster realizes the connection between the grid and the negative electrode of the power supply through the cold pressing terminal, and realizes the connection between the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode and the positive electrode of the power supply through the wiring terminal of the conductive ring. The structural configuration of the present invention is simple, has strong feasibility, and is light in weight. It can solve the problems in the current technical solutions such as unscientific and unreasonable layout, inability to be fixedly installed, inability to realize electrical connection and working medium supply, low working efficiency, and short service life of the thruster.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a structural configuration of a field ionization thruster, and more particularly to a micro-thruster based on electrolysis of a carbon nanotube microporous array. Background Art

[0002] A micro-thruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode is a new concept of a micro-electric thruster, mainly applied to fine attitude and orbit control and position keeping of space micro-nano satellites. Different from traditional micro-thrusters / electric thrusters, on the one hand, this thruster utilizes the large aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes to ionize gas working medium and then emit ions, and on the other hand, through polarity switching, it can utilize its strong field emission ability to emit electrons, realizing a dual-mode working mode. Compared with ion thrusters and ECR ion thrusters, the structure of the present invention is simple and does not require an additional neutralizer to neutralize the plume of the thruster.

[0003] As mentioned in the invention patent CN110056491A, a carbon nanotube array thruster, as Figure 1 described, has the following structure: including a carbon nanotube unit array, a metal grid, a power supply, a working medium storage tank, a protective layer, a fixing plate, and a micro-processing element. The protective layer includes two parts connected through a through hole in the middle; at the front end of the front half part, there is a fixing plate, the carbon nanotube unit array is distributed in an array on one side of the fixing plate, and the working medium storage tank is arranged on the other side of the fixing plate. Above the outer surface of the rear half part, there are a micro-processing element and a power supply. The metal grid is circular and fixed inside the rear half part of the protective layer. When the thruster works, the carbon nanotube unit array is energized, and argon working medium enters the carbon nanotube unit array from the working medium storage tank through the fixing plate; the micro-processing element controls the working mode of the carbon nanotube unit array and controls the potential of the metal grid to correspond to the working mode of the carbon nanotube unit array, achieving two working states.

[0004] In the structural layout of the existing technical solution, the microprocessor and the power supply are arranged in a circular layout near the thruster. The microprocessor and the power supply are relatively large in size, and their layout in the circumferential direction of the thruster will result in a large volume and heavy mass of the entire thruster. At the same time, the electromagnetic radiation generated by the high-frequency oscillation of the plasma movement during the operation of the thruster will affect the working characteristics of the microprocessor and the power supply; similarly, the electromagnetic radiation generated during the operation of the power supply and the microprocessor will also affect the performance of the thruster. In addition, the heat generated by the thruster, the microprocessor, and the power supply during their operation is superimposed, which will not only increase the working temperature of the whole machine and reduce the system performance, but even burn out the devices.

[0005] In the current technology, it is obvious that the length of the protective layer is relatively long, resulting in the bombardment of the charged particles coming out of the grid on its surface, causing surface corrosion. At the same time, the deposition of charged particles will cause it to be charged, increasing the risk of self-breakdown and affecting the service life.

[0006] In the current technology, the fixing method of the gate is not clear, and the conductive connection method is not mentioned either. It is mentioned that the working medium storage tank has not made it clear how to deliver the working medium to the thruster. According to what is described, the working medium used in the thruster during operation is a gas, and the opening and closing as well as the opening degree of the gas valve need to be adjusted according to the working conditions. According to its structural scheme, it is difficult to layout the valve. It is not clear how the carbon nanotube array is fixed on the fixing plate. In the current technology, carbon nanotubes are mainly grown on the substrate by chemical vapor deposition, and it is not clear how the working medium enters the carbon nanotube array from the working medium storage tank. To sum up, the connection methods between the various components of the existing scheme are not clear, the layout is unreasonable, and it is difficult to implement, with large mass, low efficiency, and short lifespan during actual use. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical problems to be solved by the present invention

[0008] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a configuration with simple structure, high feasibility, and light weight. This configuration scheme can solve the problems of unreasonable and unscientific layout, inability to be fixedly installed, inability to achieve electrical connection and working medium supply, and low working efficiency in the current technical scheme.

[0009] Technical solutions adopted to solve the technical problems

[0010] A micro-thruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, comprising a gate, a conductive ring, an insulating pressure ring, a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, a discharge chamber, and a cold-pressed terminal. The carbon nanotube array microporous electrode is placed on the convex platform of the discharge chamber, and the conductive ring, insulating pressure ring, and gate are placed in sequence, and are fixed on the discharge chamber by bolts. The cold-pressed terminal is fixed on the gate grid by a fixing bolt.

[0011] Furthermore, tens of thousands of micropores are processed on the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode to make the gas working medium reach the tip of the carbon nanotubes more evenly.

[0012] Furthermore, a gas buffer cavity is designed inside the discharge chamber to preliminarily homogenize the working medium gas entering the discharge chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, the thruster connects the gate to the negative pole of the power supply through the cold-pressed terminal, and connects the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode to the positive pole of the power supply through the terminal of the conductive ring.

[0014] Furthermore, the front side of the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode faces upward.

[0015] Furthermore, the terminal of the conductive ring is placed in the limiting concave of the discharge chamber.

[0016] Furthermore, the thruster is fixed on the mounting bracket through the fixing screw holes and mounting bolts at the rear side.

[0017] Furthermore, the air inlet of the discharge chamber is connected to a valve and a working fluid storage tank through a hose.

[0018] Furthermore, the O-shaped notch wiring copper tube is used to physically connect the conductive ring terminal and the wire.

[0019] Furthermore, there are 6 evenly distributed positioning grooves on the grid, and the grid can be fixed on the discharge chamber with grid fixing bolts.

[0020] Advantageous Effects

[0021] The present invention provides a micro-thruster based on carbon nanotube microporous array electrolysis, which has a simple structure configuration, strong feasibility, and light weight. It can solve the problems in the current technical solutions such as unreasonable layout, inability to be fixedly installed, inability to achieve electrical connection and working fluid supply, low working efficiency, and short thruster life. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 : View of the prior art thruster;

[0023] Figure 2 : Exploded view of the thruster;

[0024] Figure 3 : Side view of the assembled thruster;

[0025] Figure 4 : Front view of the assembled thruster;

[0026] Figure 5 : Structural schematic diagram of the discharge chamber;

[0027] Figure 6 : O-shaped notch wiring copper tube;

[0028] Figure 7 : Carbon nanotube electrode;

[0029] Figure 8 : Microporous array of the carbon nanotube electrode after being magnified by an electron microscope.

[0030] Wherein: 1-grid fixing bolt, 2-cold pressing terminal, 3-grid, 4-insulating pressing ring, 5-conductive ring, 6-carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, 7-discharge chamber, 8-mounting bolt, 9-conductive ring terminal, 10-gas buffer chamber, 11-air inlet, 12-discharge chamber fixing screw hole, 13-limit concave, 14-conductive layer, 15-carbon nanotube array. Detailed Embodiments

[0031] The present invention relates to a prototype structure configuration of a microthruster based on a carbon nanotube array. The thruster is composed of a grid, a conductive ring, an insulating pressing ring, a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, fixing bolts, cold-pressed terminal blocks, etc. First, the carbon nanotube array microporous electrode is placed on the convex platform of the discharge chamber. Secondly, the conductive ring, the insulating pressing ring, and the grid are placed in sequence. Finally, it is fixed on the discharge chamber through bolts. Among them, tens of thousands of micropores are processed on the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, which can make the gas working medium reach the tip of the carbon nanotubes more uniformly, improving the utilization rate of the gas. A gas buffer cavity is designed inside the discharge chamber, which can preliminarily homogenize the working medium gas entering the discharge chamber. The thruster finally realizes the connection between the grid and the negative pole of the power supply through the cold-pressed terminal block, and realizes the connection between the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode and the positive pole of the power supply through the terminal block of the conductive ring. In contrast, the thruster has a simple structure, a reasonable layout, and strong feasibility.

[0032] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] As Figure 2 shown, the thruster is composed of a grid fixing bolt, a cold-pressed terminal block, a grid, a conductive ring, an insulating pressing ring, a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, a discharge chamber, and a mounting bolt. During the installation process, first, the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode is placed on the support convex platform inside the discharge chamber with the front side of the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode facing up; then the conductive ring is placed. The conductive ring is made of a material with good conductivity, and the terminal of the conductive ring is placed in the limiting concave of the discharge chamber; next, the insulating pressing ring and the grid are placed in sequence. There are 6 evenly distributed positioning grooves on the grid, and it can be fixed on the discharge chamber with the grid fixing bolt. One end of the cold-pressed terminal block is connected to a wire, and the other end is fixed on the grid net through a fixing bolt. The entire thruster can be fixed on the mounting bracket through the fixing screw holes and mounting bolts at the rear side.

[0034] As Figure 3 、 Figure 4 shown, it is the assembly drawing of the thruster. The connection between the grid and the negative pole of the power supply is realized through the cold-pressed terminal block, and the connection between the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode and the positive pole of the power supply can be realized through the terminal of the conductive ring. This thruster does not involve a power supply and a microcontroller, and is ultimately guaranteed by the service platform.

[0035] As Figure 5 shown, the air inlet of the discharge chamber is connected to a valve and a working medium storage tank through a hose. During operation, the working medium can enter the inside of the discharge chamber through the air inlet. The working medium gas enters the inside of the discharge chamber and is homogenized in the gas buffer cavity.

[0036] As shown Figure 6 in the figure, it is an O-shaped notch connecting copper tube, which is used to physically connect the conductive ring terminal and the wire.

[0037] As shown Figure 7 in Figure 8 the figure, it is a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode. The outer side of its conductive layer contacts the conductive ring, and at the same time the conductive layer is also connected to the root of the carbon nanotube. Finally, the electrical connection between the carbon nanotube array and the power supply can be realized. Tens of thousands of micron-scale holes are processed on the substrate where the carbon nanotubes grow microscopically, connecting the gas buffer chamber of the discharge chamber with the carbon nanotube layer. During the working process, the working medium gas can flow from the gas buffer chamber to the carbon nanotube side. Since the gas is restricted in the length direction of the carbon nanotubes during the flow process, the probability of contacting the tips of the carbon nanotubes is increased, and the ionization efficiency is greatly improved compared with the situation without such a structure.

Claims

1. A microthruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, characterized in that: It includes a gate, a conductive ring, an insulating pressure ring, a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode, a discharge chamber and a cold-pressed terminal. The carbon nanotube microporous array electrode is placed on the convex platform of the discharge chamber, and the conductive ring, the insulating pressure ring and the gate are placed in sequence and fixed on the discharge chamber by bolts. The cold-pressed terminal is fixed on the gate grid by fixing bolts; Tens of thousands of micropores are processed on the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode to make the gas working medium reach the tip of the carbon nanotube more uniformly; The thruster realizes the connection between the gate and the negative pole of the power supply through the cold-pressed terminal, and realizes the connection between the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode and the positive pole of the power supply through the terminal of the conductive ring; The terminal of the conductive ring is placed in the positioning concave of the discharge chamber.

2. The microthruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode according to claim 1, wherein: A gas buffer chamber is designed inside the discharge chamber to preliminarily homogenize the working medium gas entering the discharge chamber.

3. The microthruster based on the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front side of the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode faces upward.

4. The microthruster based on the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thruster is fixed on the mounting bracket through the fixing screw holes and mounting bolts at the rear side.

5. The microthruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet of the discharge chamber is connected to a valve and a working medium storage tank through a hose.

6. The microthruster based on a carbon nanotube microporous array electrode according to claim 1, wherein: The O-shaped notch wiring copper tube is used to physically connect the terminal of the conductive ring and the wire.

7. The microthruster based on the carbon nanotube microporous array electrode according to claim 1, wherein: There are 6 evenly distributed positioning grooves on the gate, and it can be fixed on the discharge chamber with the gate fixing bolts.

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