Method for on-orbit use of green monopropellant thruster
By employing a green, single-component thruster in-orbit method, the problems of traditional thruster sealing failure and temperature management have been solved, enabling the thruster to operate efficiently and reliably on micro- and nano-satellites, thus meeting the engineering application requirements of propulsion systems.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- DALIAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-29
Smart Images
Figure CN117622523B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of monocomponent propulsion technology, and more particularly to a method for the on-orbit use of a green monocomponent thruster. Background Technology
[0002] Green propellants possess advantages such as being non-toxic and having high specific impulse, making them promising for applications in manned spaceflight, launch vehicles, and satellites. In recent years, microsatellites and nanosatellites have experienced rapid development. To improve on-orbit lifespan and provide deorbit propulsion, satellites need to be equipped with active propulsion systems. Green, non-toxic, single-component propulsion systems have gained favor among microsatellite users and have been widely adopted due to their simplicity, high reliability, and pre-packaged delivery capabilities.
[0003] However, traditional single-component thrusters are installed with the nozzle outlet vertically downwards (upright installation) during transportation, storage, and launch. This is because the catalyst bed is highly susceptible to generating excess material under the mechanical conditions of transportation and launch. If the single-component thruster is inverted (nozzle outlet vertically upwards), this excess material will enter the upstream sealing surface or solenoid valve through the injector capillary, easily leading to seal failure and ultimately mission failure. While functional materials can be installed at the injector outlet to block the backflow path of catalyst powder excess material, the increased use of functional materials complicates the thruster's operation. Currently, there are no publicly reported methods for using these functional materials in the field of green single-component thrusters.
[0004] Furthermore, due to their compact structure, microsatellites and nanosatellites cannot guarantee the thruster's installation angle during system layout, posing significant technical risks. Additionally, the low battery capacity of microsatellites and nanosatellites makes it impossible to maintain the thruster's on-orbit temperature for extended periods. This is highly detrimental to monocomponent chemical propulsion thrusters, primarily manifested in a significantly reduced thruster lifespan, especially warm-start lifespan, failing to meet mission requirements. Improving the thruster's lifespan characteristics under these operating conditions through design methods to meet engineering application requirements is another critical technical challenge that urgently needs to be addressed to limit the application of green monocomponent thrusters in the field of microsatellites and nanosatellites. Summary of the Invention
[0005] To address the shortcomings of current solutions, a method for the on-orbit use of a green monocomponent thruster is proposed. The method for the on-orbit use of a green monocomponent thruster containing invertible functional materials is given. Through reasonable working condition design, the technical challenge of the warm start-up life of the green monocomponent thruster is solved, enabling it to meet the requirements of engineering applications. It has been successfully applied to the green HAN thruster of a certain micro-nano satellite HAN propulsion system.
[0006] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is:
[0007] A method for on-orbit use of a green single-component thruster, wherein the single-component thruster structure comprises four main parts: an injector, an anti-inversion functional material, a catalytic bed, a nozzle, and a thermal control assembly. The thermal control assembly includes an armored heater, an armored thermistor, and a multi-layer thermal insulation assembly. The method and steps for use are as follows:
[0008] A method for on-orbit use of a green single-component thruster, wherein the single-component thruster structure comprises four main parts: an injector, an anti-inversion functional material, a catalytic bed, a nozzle, and a thermal control assembly. The thermal control assembly includes an armored heater, an armored thermistor, and a multi-layer thermal insulation assembly. The usage steps and methods are as follows:
[0009] (1) Two hours before startup, turn on the armored heater to preheat the catalyst bed and raise the temperature of the catalyst bed to above 200°C. At this temperature, the functional materials begin to melt and decompose.
[0010] (2) Functional material removal procedure: In order to thoroughly remove functional material residues and avoid affecting catalyst performance, a pulse start-up procedure is first performed: start-up time 0.05s, stop-up time 1s, cycle 10 times, and then a pulse start-up procedure is performed: start-up time 0.1s, stop-up time 1s, cycle 10 times, raising the catalyst bed temperature to above 400℃. At this temperature, the functional materials will be completely decomposed.
[0011] (3) Attitude control program: The catalyst bed temperature start-up temperature is not lower than 200℃, the working pulse width is not less than 25ms, the time interval is not less than 50ms, and the duty cycle and number of cycles are controlled and adjusted by the control system according to the attitude of the aircraft.
[0012] (4) Orbit control program: The catalyst bed temperature start-up temperature is not lower than 200℃. First, a pulse start-up program is performed: the start-up time is 0.1s, the stop-up time is 1s, and the cycle is repeated 10 times. Then, a steady-state start-up program is performed. The working time is controlled and adjusted by the control system according to the attitude of the aircraft. The single steady-state working time is not greater than 300s.
[0013] (5) After each attitude control or orbit control program ends, the catalyst bed cools down naturally, with a minimum insulation temperature of not less than 20°C. Before the thruster is restarted, the armored heater is started to raise the temperature of the catalyst bed to above 200°C.
[0014] The green single-component thruster used according to this method can achieve no less than 100 warm starts and no less than 5,000 cumulative pulses;
[0015] This method is applicable to applications using green ADN and HAN thrusters with thrust levels of 0.2N, 0.5N, 1N, and 5N.
[0016] This invention discloses an on-orbit method for using a green monocomponent thruster. This method provides an on-orbit usage method for a green monocomponent thruster containing invertible functional materials, and solves the technical problem of warm start-up life of the green monocomponent thruster through reasonable operating condition design. It has been successfully applied on micro and nano satellites. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the thruster structure involved in the present invention.
[0018] Figure 2 This is the preheating temperature curve of the catalytic bed 2 hours before startup in Example 1 of the present invention;
[0019] Figure 3 This is the data curve of the functional material removal procedure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0020] Figure 4 This is the functional material thoroughly clearing program data curve of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0021] Figure 5 This is a typical attitude control program data curve from Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0022] Figure 6 This is a typical track control program data curve from Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0023] The following embodiments are provided to illustrate the present invention in more detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0024] Example 1:
[0025] A method for on-orbit use of a green single-component thruster. The thruster structure comprises four main parts: an injector 1, an anti-inversion functional material 2, a catalytic bed 3, a nozzle 4, and a thermal control assembly. The thermal control assembly includes an armored heater 5, an armored thermistor 6, and a multi-layer thermal insulation assembly 7. The usage steps and methods are as follows:
[0026] (1) As Figure 2 As shown, 2 hours before startup, the armored heater 5 is turned on to preheat the catalyst bed, raising the temperature of the catalyst bed to above 200°C. At this temperature, the functional material 2 begins to melt and decompose.
[0027] (2) Functional Material Removal Procedure: To thoroughly remove functional material residues and avoid affecting catalyst performance, a pulse start-up procedure is first performed: start-up time 0.05s, stop-up time 1s, cycled 10 times. Figure 3 As shown; then perform the pulse start-up program: start-up time 0.1s, stop-down time 1s, cycle 10 times, raising the catalyst bed temperature to above 400℃, as follows. Figure 4 As shown, at this temperature, functional material 2 will completely decompose;
[0028] (3) Attitude control program: The catalyst bed 3-temperature start-up temperature is not lower than 200℃, the working pulse width is not less than 50ms, the time interval is not less than 50ms, and the duty cycle and number of cycles are controlled and adjusted by the control system according to the aircraft attitude; the typical operating condition is: catalyst bed 3-temperature start-up temperature 200℃, working pulse width 100ms, time interval 1000ms, number of cycles 50, and the data curve is as follows. Figure 5 As shown;
[0029] (4) Orbit control program: The catalyst bed temperature at start-up is not lower than 200℃. First, a pulse start-up program is performed: start-up time 0.1s, stop-up time 1s, cycled 10 times. Then, a steady-state start-up program is performed. The working time is controlled and adjusted by the control system according to the aircraft attitude. The single steady-state working time is not greater than 300s. The typical steady-state condition is a 10s start-up. The data curve is as follows: Figure 6 As shown;
[0030] (5) After each attitude control or orbit control program ends, the catalyst bed 3 cools down naturally, with a minimum insulation temperature of not less than 20°C. Before the thruster is restarted, the armored heater 5 is started to raise the temperature of the catalyst bed 3 to above 200°C.
[0031] The green single-component thruster used according to this method can achieve up to 100 warm starts and up to 10,000 cumulative pulses;
[0032] This method solves the technical challenge of the start-up lifespan of the green HAN thruster and has been applied to the green HAN thruster of the micro-nano satellite propulsion system, successfully realizing satellite maneuvering and orbit maintenance, with a thrust level of 0.5N.
[0033] Example 2: The difference from Example 1 is as follows:
[0034] Attitude control program: The catalytic bed 3-temperature start-up temperature is not lower than 200℃, the working pulse width is not less than 25ms, the time interval is not less than 50ms, and the duty cycle and number of cycles are controlled and adjusted by the control system according to the aircraft attitude;
[0035] After each attitude control or orbit control program ends, the catalyst bed 3 cools down naturally, with a minimum insulation temperature of not less than 150°C. Before the thruster is restarted, the armored heater 5 is activated to raise the temperature of the catalyst bed 3 to above 200°C.
[0036] The green single-component thruster used according to this method can achieve no less than 500 warm starts and no less than 50,000 cumulative pulses;
[0037] This method is applicable to green ADN thrusters with a thrust level of 1N.
[0038] The above are preferred embodiments of the present invention. Any changes made to the technical solution of the present invention that do not exceed the scope of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for on-orbit use of a green single-component thruster, characterized in that: The monocomponent thruster includes an injector (1), an anti-inversion functional material (2), a catalyst bed (3), a nozzle (4), and a thermal control assembly. The thermal control assembly includes an armored heater (5), an armored thermistor (6), and a multi-layer thermal insulation assembly (7). The on-orbit use method of the monocomponent thruster includes the following steps: S1: A period of time before startup, turn on the armored heater (5) to preheat the catalyst bed and raise the temperature of the catalyst bed to above 200°C. At this temperature, the anti-inversion functional material (2) begins to melt and decompose. S2: Anti-inversion functional material removal process: First, the pulse start program: start time 0.05s, stop time 1s, cycle 10 times, then the pulse start program: start time 0.1s, stop time 1s, cycle 10 times, raise the catalyst bed temperature to above 400℃, at this temperature, the anti-inversion functional material (2) is completely decomposed; S3: Enter the attitude control process: The starting temperature of the catalyst bed (3) is not lower than 200℃, the working pulse width is not less than 25ms, the time interval is not less than 50ms, and the duty cycle and number of cycles are adjusted according to the attitude of the aircraft. S4: Enter the orbit control program: Catalytic bed (3) The temperature of the start-up is not lower than 200℃. First, perform the pulse start-up program: the start time is 0.1s, the stop time is 1s, and the cycle is repeated 10 times. Then, perform the steady-state start-up process. Adjust the working time according to the attitude of the aircraft. The single steady-state working time is not greater than 300s. S5: After each attitude control or orbit control process, the catalyst bed (3) cools down naturally, with a minimum insulation temperature of not less than 20°C. Before the thruster is restarted, the armored heater (5) is started to raise the temperature of the catalyst bed (3) to above 200°C.
2. The method for on-orbit use of a green single-component thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: Achieve at least 100 warm-start cycles and at least 5,000 cumulative pulses using a green single-component thruster.
3. A method for on-orbit use of a green single-component thruster according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: This method is applicable to green ADN and HAN thrusters with thrust levels of 0.2N, 0.5N, 1N, and 5N.