PPT body carbon deposition prevention structure and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a PPT body carbon deposition prevention structure and method. The PPT body carbon deposition prevention structure comprises a shell and at least one thrust chamber arranged on the shell. The thrust chamber comprises a thrust chamber frame shell, a cathode plate, an anode plate, a spark plug, a solid working medium and a carbon deposition prevention assembly, and a thrust outlet is formed in one end of the thrust chamber; the cathode plate and the anode plate are arranged on the upper inner wall and the lower inner wall of the thrust chamber frame shell; one end of the solid working medium is arranged in the thrust chamber and is in contact with the cathode plate and the anode plate; the anti-carbon assembly comprises two anti-carbon insulation sheets, the two anti-carbon insulation sheets are located on the left inner wall and the right inner wall, close to the outlet, of the thrust chamber frame shell, and a notch extending towards the interior of the thrust chamber is formed in the middle area, corresponding to one end of the thrust outlet, of each anti-carbon insulation sheet. The plasma thruster is applied to the field of spacecraft propulsion, a discharge loop can be prevented from being formed between the cathode plate and the anode plate in the long-time operation process of the pulse plasma thruster, and long-time stable and reliable operation of the thruster is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of spacecraft propulsion technology, and in particular to a PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure and method. Background Art

[0002] Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) is an electric propulsion device widely used in micro-satellites and probes. PPT generates pulse thrust by electromagnetic means, which is mainly used for attitude control, orbit adjustment and precise fine-tuning.

[0003] PPT usually uses solid propellant, the most common of which is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The propellant is usually placed in the discharge chamber of the thruster in the form of rods or plates. When working, the high-voltage power supply and energy storage capacitor apply high voltage between the cathode and the anode, and trigger discharge on the surface of the propellant through a spark plug or other triggering device, generating high-temperature and high-pressure plasma. The generated plasma is accelerated by the electromagnetic field and ejected out of the nozzle at high speed to form a plasma jet. According to the principle of reaction force, the ejected plasma generates reverse thrust, thereby pushing the spacecraft to adjust its attitude or correct its orbit.

[0004] During the solid propellant ionization process of pulsed plasma thrusters that have been running for a long time, the carbon ions generated may gradually accumulate on the wall of the thrust chamber. The adsorption of such carbon ions may make the wall conductive, causing an unexpected discharge loop between the cathode plate and the anode plate, and ultimately severely limiting the performance of the thruster, or even making it unable to work properly. Based on this, it is urgent to develop an innovative PPT body structure that can effectively prevent the formation of a loop between the cathode plate and the anode plate, and ensure the long-term stable and reliable operation of the thruster. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure and method, which can avoid the formation of a loop between the cathode plate and the anode plate during the long-term operation of the pulsed plasma thruster, thereby ensuring the long-term stable and reliable operation of the thruster.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure, comprising a housing and at least one thrust chamber provided on the housing; The thrust chamber comprises a thrust chamber frame shell, a cathode plate, an anode plate, a spark plug, a solid working medium and an anti-carbon deposition component, and one end of the thrust chamber is a thrust outlet; The cathode plate and the anode plate are arranged on the upper and lower inner walls of the thrust chamber frame shell, the spark plug is located on the cathode plate, and one end of the solid working medium is in the thrust chamber and in contact with the cathode plate and the anode plate; The anti-carbon deposition component includes two anti-carbon insulation sheets, which are located on the left and right inner walls of the thrust chamber, and a notch extending toward the interior of the thrust chamber is formed on one end of the anti-carbon insulation sheet corresponding to the thrust outlet.

[0007] In one embodiment, a first side surface of the anti-carbon insulating sheet is fixedly connected to an inner wall of the thrust chamber, and a gap is provided between a second side surface of the anti-carbon insulating sheet and the solid working medium.

[0008] In one embodiment, the width of the gap is 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, a notch or a concave groove is provided on the inner wall of the thrust chamber frame shell at a position corresponding to the notch.

[0010] In one embodiment, when the number of the thrust chambers is more than two, each of the thrust chambers is arranged on the housing in a linear array, and two adjacent thrust chambers are separated by a partition; The carbon-proof insulating sheet corresponding to each thrust chamber is arranged on the inner wall of the shell or the partition: When the carbon-proof insulating sheet is arranged on the inner wall of the shell, a concave recessed groove is arranged on the inner wall of the shell at a position corresponding to the notch; When the carbon-proof insulating sheet is arranged on the partition, a notch is arranged on the partition at a position corresponding to the notch.

[0011] In one embodiment, the width of the notch or the groove is greater than the width of the slot.

[0012] In one embodiment, after the depth of the notch on the carbon-proof insulating sheet exceeds the end surface of the solid working medium, it extends more than 2 mm in the opposite direction of the thrust outlet.

[0013] In one embodiment, the anti-carbon insulating sheet is made of ablation-resistant and high-temperature-resistant material, and the anti-carbon insulating sheet is disconnected at a position corresponding to the notch, that is, the anti-carbon insulating sheet is divided into two or more parts by the notch.

[0014] In one embodiment, the shape of the notch is a straight line, a curve or a broken line, and the number of the notches on the carbon-proof insulating sheet is 1 or more.

[0015] In one embodiment, the upper and lower sides of the solid working medium have a plurality of opening grooves, and the opening grooves are spaced apart along the length direction of the solid working medium. To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides a method for preventing carbon deposition on a PPT body, wherein the above-mentioned PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure is assembled on a pulsed plasma thruster to achieve anti-carbon deposition treatment of the PPT body.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects: 1. The present invention arranges anti-carbon insulating sheets on the left and right inner walls of the thrust outlet and opens notches on the anti-carbon insulating sheets. Even if the pulse plasma thruster works for a long time and carbon ions are adsorbed on the surface of the anti-carbon insulating sheets, the presence of the notches can effectively prevent the two sides of the anti-carbon insulating sheets from being connected, thereby achieving the effect of preventing carbon deposition. Furthermore, during the long-term operation of the pulse plasma thruster, a loop can be prevented from being formed between the cathode plate and the anode plate, thereby ensuring that the thruster can operate stably and reliably for a long time. 2. The present invention can effectively prevent carbon deposition by simply adding an anti-carbon insulating sheet to the existing pulse plasma thruster. It is not only simple in structure and easy to operate, but also can effectively reduce costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 This is an axonometric diagram of the PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A side view of the PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is an axonometric view of a housing in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a partial axonometric view of the thrust chamber in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Reference numerals: shell 1 , thrust chamber 101 , partition 102 , sink 103 , notch 104 , anode plate 2 , protruding structure 201 , cathode plate 3 , solid working medium 4 , open groove 401 , carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 , notch 501 .

[0020] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0023] In addition, in the present invention, descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0024] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, a physical connection, or a wireless communication connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0025] In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that ordinary technicians in the field can implement it. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 5 The figure shows a PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure disclosed in this embodiment, which mainly includes a shell 1 and a thrust chamber 101 arranged on the shell 1. The thrust chamber 101 includes a thrust chamber frame shell, an anode plate 2, a cathode plate 3, a spark plug, a solid working medium 4 and an anti-carbon deposition component, and the thrust chamber frame shell is a part of the shell 1.

[0027] The thrust chamber 101 is specifically a rectangular channel provided at one end of the shell 1, and the opening at one end of the thrust chamber 101 is a thrust outlet. The anode plate 2 and the cathode plate 3 are provided on the upper and lower inner walls of the thrust chamber frame shell. In this embodiment, the anode plate 2 and the cathode plate 3 are respectively fixed on the upper and lower inner walls of the thrust chamber 101 and close to the thrust outlet by bolts, and a spark plug is installed on the cathode plate 3. The solid working medium 4 is provided in the thrust chamber 101 and contacts the anode plate 2 and the cathode plate 3. Specifically, a protruding structure 201 is provided on the anode plate 2, and the lower end of the solid working medium 4 abuts against the protruding structure 201, and the upper side of the solid working medium 4 contacts and connects with the cathode plate 3. At the same time, there is a power member made of a spring between the solid working medium 4 and the cathode plate 3, so that the solid working medium 4 always has a tendency to move toward the thrust outlet direction, so that the solid working medium 4 always keeps in contact with the anode plate 2 and the cathode plate 3, so as to ensure that the solid working medium 4 can be stably supplied and the thrust chamber can continue to work. Among them, arranging a spring between the solid working medium 4 and the anode plate 2 or the cathode plate 3 is a conventional means in the art, and this embodiment will not be repeated.

[0028] In this embodiment, the anti-carbon deposition assembly includes two anti-carbon insulation sheets 5 made of insulating material, the two anti-carbon insulation sheets 5 are located on the left and right inner walls of the thrust chamber, and a notch 501 extending toward the inner direction of the thrust chamber 101 is provided in the middle area of ​​the anti-carbon insulation sheet 5 corresponding to one end of the thrust outlet. Specifically, the anti-carbon insulation sheet 5 is fixed to the left and right inner walls of the thrust chamber 101 and close to the outlet of the thrust chamber 101 by bolt connection and / or adhesive connection, and the first end of the anti-carbon insulation sheet 5 penetrates into the shell more than 2 mm beyond the end surface of the solid working medium 4, the second end of the anti-carbon insulation sheet 5 is flush with or close to the thrust outlet, and the notch 501 is provided in the middle area of ​​the second end of the anti-carbon insulation sheet 5 and extends toward the first end. When the pulse plasma thruster works for a long time, due to the presence of the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5, most of the carbon ions are adsorbed on the surface of the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5, and the presence of the notch 501 can effectively prevent the two sides of the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5 from being connected, thereby preventing a loop from being formed between the cathode plate 3 and the anode plate 2 during the long-term operation of the pulse plasma thruster, thereby ensuring that the thruster operates stably and reliably for a long time.

[0029] During the specific implementation process, the first side of the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the thrust chamber 101 by bolt connection and / or bonding, and there is a gap between the second side of the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5 and the solid working medium 4, wherein the width of the gap is preferably 0.05mm~5mm to prevent carbon ions from flowing back and contaminating the side of the working medium.

[0030] In the specific implementation process, after the depth of the notch 501 on the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 exceeds the end surface of the solid working medium 4, it extends more than 2 mm in the opposite direction of the thrust outlet, and the longer the extension length, the better. It is worth noting that in specific applications, the width and depth of the notch 501 on the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 are determined according to the design size constraints of the pulsed plasma thruster. It is only necessary to make the width and depth of the notch 501 as large as possible under the premise of meeting the design size constraints of the pulsed plasma thruster.

[0031] As a preferred embodiment, a notch or a concave groove is provided at the position corresponding to the notch 501 on the inner wall of the thrust chamber 101, that is, there is no contact between the position with the notch 501 on the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5 and the inner wall of the thrust chamber 101, so as to avoid carbon ions being adsorbed on the inner wall of the thrust chamber 101 and indirectly connecting the two sides of the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5. Preferably, the width of the notch or the groove should be greater than the width of the notch 501. In the case of firmly installing the anti-carbon insulating sheet 5, the wider the width of the notch or the groove, the better. Under the condition that the thrust chamber frame shell structure allows, the greater the depth of the notch or the groove, the better.

[0032] In this embodiment, when the number of thrust chambers on the shell 1 is more than two, the thrust chambers 101 of each thrust chamber are arranged on the shell 1 in a linear array, and two adjacent thrust chambers 101 are separated by a partition 102. The carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 corresponding to each thrust chamber is arranged on the inner wall of the shell 1 or the partition 102: when the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 is arranged on the inner wall of the shell 1, a concave groove 103 is arranged at a position corresponding to the notch 501 on the inner wall of the shell 1; when the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 is arranged on the partition 102, a notch 104 is arranged at a position corresponding to the notch 501 on the partition 102, for example Figure 1 shown.

[0033] In the specific implementation process, the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 is made of ablation-resistant and high-temperature-resistant material, such as an insulating ceramic sheet, and the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 can be disconnected at the position corresponding to the notch 501, that is, the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 is divided into two or more parts by the notch. In addition, the shape of the notch 501 is a straight line, a curve or a broken line, and the number of notches 501 on the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5 is 1 or more than 2. When the number of notches 501 is more than one, the corresponding groove or notch changes with the notch of the carbon-proof insulating sheet, and the notch 501 may not be set in the middle of the carbon-proof insulating sheet 5.

[0034] As a preferred embodiment, a plurality of opening grooves 401 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the solid working medium 4, and the opening grooves 401 are spaced apart along the length direction of the solid working medium 4, so that the carbon deposits on the solid working medium 4 can fall off by themselves after extending to the openings, thereby reducing the blockage of the working medium propulsion by the carbon deposits on the end surface of the solid working medium 4.

[0035] This embodiment also discloses a method for preventing carbon deposition on a PPT body, that is, assembling the above-mentioned PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure on a pulsed plasma thruster, thereby avoiding the formation of a loop between the cathode plate and the anode plate during the long-term operation of the pulsed plasma thruster, thereby ensuring that the thruster operates stably and reliably for a long time.

[0036] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure, characterized in that: comprising a housing and at least one thrust chamber disposed on the housing; The thrust chamber comprises a thrust chamber frame shell, a cathode plate, an anode plate, a spark plug, a solid working medium and an anti-carbon deposition component, and one end of the thrust chamber is a thrust outlet; The cathode plate and the anode plate are arranged on the upper and lower inner walls of the thrust chamber frame shell, the spark plug is located on the cathode plate, and one end of the solid working medium is in the thrust chamber and in contact with the cathode plate and the anode plate; The anti-carbon deposition component includes two anti-carbon insulation sheets, which are located on the left and right inner walls of the thrust chamber, and a notch extending toward the interior of the thrust chamber is formed on one end of the anti-carbon insulation sheet corresponding to the thrust outlet.

2. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first side surface of the carbon-proof insulating sheet is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the thrust chamber, and a gap is provided between the second side surface of the carbon-proof insulating sheet and the solid working medium.

3. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The width of the gap is 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

4. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: A notch or a concave groove is provided on the inner wall of the thrust chamber frame shell at a position corresponding to the notch.

5. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the number of the thrust chambers is more than two, each of the thrust chambers is arranged on the shell in a linear array, and two adjacent thrust chambers are separated by a partition; The carbon-proof insulating sheet corresponding to each thrust chamber is arranged on the inner wall of the shell or the partition: When the carbon-proof insulating sheet is arranged on the inner wall of the shell, a concave recessed groove is arranged on the inner wall of the shell at a position corresponding to the notch; When the carbon-proof insulating sheet is arranged on the partition, a notch is arranged on the partition at a position corresponding to the notch.

6. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The width of the notch or the recess is greater than the width of the slot.

7. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: After the depth of the notch on the carbon-proof insulating sheet exceeds the end surface of the solid working medium, it extends more than 2 mm in the opposite direction of the thrust outlet.

8. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The carbon-proof insulating sheet is made of ablation-resistant and high-temperature-resistant material, and the carbon-proof insulating sheet can be broken at a position corresponding to the notch, that is, the carbon-proof insulating sheet is divided into two or more parts by the notch.

9. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The shape of the notch is a straight line, a curve or a broken line, and the number of the notches on the carbon-proof insulating sheet is 1 or more than 2.

10. The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: A plurality of opening grooves are provided on the upper and lower sides of the solid working medium, and the opening grooves are distributed at intervals along the length direction of the solid working medium.

11. A method for preventing carbon deposition on a PPT body, characterized in that: The PPT body anti-carbon deposition structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is assembled on a pulsed plasma thruster to achieve anti-carbon deposition treatment of the PPT body.

Images