Microwave plasma thruster with fixed structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a microwave plasma thruster with a fixed structure. The microwave plasma thruster is composed of a resonant cavity, a probe, a partition plate and a spray pipe. The resonant cavity is a cavity with one closed end and one semi-closed end, and the probe is located at the closed end of the resonant cavity; the space position and the geometric dimension of the partition plate are kept unchanged, and the inner diameter of the partition plate is slightly larger than that of the resonant cavity; the spray pipe is located at the semi-closed end of the resonant cavity, and the optimal space position of the partition plate and the optimal size and shape of the probe under the size of the resonant cavity are obtained through a resonance modulation experiment. The thruster is fixed in structure, does not need piston adjustment, and has the advantages that the structure is simple, and gas is easy to discharge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of aerospace propulsion technology, and in particular relates to a fixed-structure microwave plasma thruster. Background Art

[0002] As an innovative device in aerospace propulsion technology, microwave plasma thrusters have great potential in performing deep space exploration missions and extending the life of satellites on orbit, and have received widespread attention in recent years. The thruster inputs 2.45 GHz microwaves and resonates at TM 011 The microwave energy can be effectively absorbed by the thruster and plasma and thrust can be quickly generated when the mode is set. However, the existing microwave plasma thruster needs to adjust the piston to ensure the optimal resonance state, which increases the complexity and reliability of the thruster system. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the technical problem that the optimal resonance state of the existing microwave plasma thruster needs to be adjusted by a piston, which increases the complexity and reliability of the thruster system, the present invention provides a fixed structure microwave plasma thruster.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a fixed structure microwave plasma thruster, with a resonant cavity, a probe, a partition, and a nozzle. The resonant cavity is a cavity with one end closed and the other end semi-closed, and is composed of a head cover, an upper cover, a head section, a rear cover, and a rear section connected by threads. The rear section is connected to an observation window by threads, which is convenient for observing the generation of plasma. The gas pipe is connected by welding and is used for the vacuum state of the resonant cavity and the introduction of working gas. The probe is located at the center of the closed end of the head cover of the resonant cavity, and is composed of a microwave antenna and a microwave joint. The shape and size of the microwave antenna are fixed to achieve the best resonant state, and it extends into the resonant cavity. The microwave joint and the microwave antenna are connected by threads. The partition is located in the resonant cavity, and also includes quartz glass and a gasket. The spatial position of the quartz glass remains unchanged, and the inner diameter is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the resonant cavity. The gasket is located at the connection between the head section and the rear section, one piece each. The nozzle is located at the semi-closed end of the resonant cavity, and is composed of a nozzle cover, a tail cover, and a sealing cover plate connected by threads.

[0005] When working, microwaves are fed into the resonant cavity through microwave connectors and tuned and fixed microwave antennas, forming a strong microwave electric field in the resonant state. The gas pipe is connected to the vacuum pump, and the sealing cover is connected to the tail cover. After the appropriate vacuum degree is drawn, the working gas enters the resonant cavity through the gas pipe. In the resonant cavity, the microwave energy interacts with the propellant gas, resulting in the ionization and excitation of gas molecules to form plasma. Subsequently, the sealing cover is opened, and the plasma is accelerated and discharged under the action of the nozzle, thereby generating thrust. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a fixed structure microwave plasma thruster;

[0007] Figure 2 This is a physical picture of a fixed structure microwave plasma thruster;

[0008] Among them, 1. head cover; 2. upper cover; 3. head section; 4. quartz glass; 5. observation window; 6. rear section; 7. rear cover; 8. nozzle cover; 9. tail cover; 10. sealing cover plate; 11. air pipe; 12. gasket; 13. microwave antenna; 14. microwave connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Combined with reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,in Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a fixed structure microwave plasma thruster; Figure 2 This is a physical picture of a fixed structure microwave plasma thruster;

[0011] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 A fixed structure microwave plasma thruster is shown, including a resonant cavity, a probe, a partition, and a nozzle. The resonant cavity is a cavity with one end closed and the other end semi-closed, and is composed of a head cover 1, an upper cover 2, a head section 3, a rear section 6, and a rear cover 7. An air pipe 11 is welded to the rear section 6, and an observation window 5 is connected by threads. The probe is composed of a microwave antenna 13 and a microwave connector 14, and the partition is composed of quartz glass 4 and a gasket 12. The nozzle is composed of a nozzle cover 8, a tail cover 9, and a sealing cover plate 10. Through the tuning resonance experiment, the optimal spatial position of the partition, the optimal size and shape of the probe under the resonant cavity size are obtained, and the thruster is fixed in structure during operation and does not need to be adjusted.

[0012] When in use, microwaves are fed into the resonant cavity via the microwave connector 14 and the tuned and fixed microwave antenna 13, forming a strong microwave electric field in the resonant state, connecting the air pipe 11 to the vacuum pump, connecting the sealing cover plate 10 to the tail cover 9, and after the appropriate vacuum degree is drawn, the working gas enters the resonant cavity through the air pipe 11. In the resonant cavity, the microwave energy interacts with the propellant gas, resulting in the ionization and excitation of the gas molecules, forming plasma. Subsequently, the sealing cover plate 10 is opened, and the plasma is accelerated and discharged under the action of the nozzle, thereby generating thrust.

Claims

1. A fixed structure microwave plasma thruster, comprising a resonant cavity, a probe, a baffle, and a nozzle. The characteristics are: The resonant cavity is a cavity with one end closed and the other end semi-closed. The probe is located at the closed end of the resonant cavity. The partition is located in the resonant cavity, and the spatial position remains unchanged. The inner diameter is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the resonant cavity. The nozzle is located at the semi-closed end of the resonant cavity. Through the resonance tuning experiment, the size of the resonant cavity, the optimal spatial position of the partition, and the optimal size and shape of the probe are obtained. The thruster is fixed in structure during operation and does not need to be adjusted.

2. The fixed structure microwave plasma thruster according to claim 1 is characterized in that it also includes a head cover, an upper cover, a head section, a rear cover, and a rear section. The head cover and the upper cover cooperate and are connected by a threaded structure, the upper cover and the head section cooperate and are connected by a threaded structure, the rear section and the head section cooperate and are connected by a threaded structure, and the rear cover and the rear section cooperate and are connected by a threaded structure.

3. The fixed structure microwave plasma thruster according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rear section also includes an observation window and an air pipe, wherein the observation window and the rear section can be connected by welding or threaded connection, and the air pipe and the rear section can be connected by welding.

4. The fixed structure microwave plasma thruster according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The probe further comprises a microwave connector and a microwave antenna, wherein the microwave connector and the microwave antenna are connected by a threaded connection, the microwave connector and the head cover are connected by a threaded connection, and the structure and size of the microwave antenna are fixed and extend into the resonant cavity.

5. The fixed structure microwave plasma thruster according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The partition also includes quartz glass and a gasket, wherein one gasket is located at the connection between the head section and the rear section. The quartz glass is embedded in the gap between the head section and the rear section in a matching manner, and the position remains fixed.

6. The fixed structure microwave plasma thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nozzle also includes a nozzle cover, a tail cover, and a sealing cover plate. The nozzle cover cooperates with the rear cover and is connected through a threaded structure. The tail cover cooperates with the sealing cover plate and is connected through a threaded structure. The sealing cover plate is in a connected state when vacuum is evacuated, and is in an open state after the working gas is introduced to discharge and generate thrust.

7. The fixed structure microwave plasma thruster according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: During operation, microwaves are fed into the resonant cavity through microwave connectors and microwave antennas, forming a strong microwave electric field under the resonant state. The working gas enters the resonant cavity through the gas pipe. In the resonant cavity, the microwave energy interacts with the propellant gas, causing the ionization and excitation of gas molecules to form plasma. The plasma is then accelerated and discharged through the nozzle, generating thrust.

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