U-shaped double helical wave thruster

Abstract

The invention discloses a U-shaped double spiral wave thruster, which belongs to the technical field of space electric propulsion, and comprises an air supply pipeline, a central discharge cavity, a spiral wave antenna, two ceramic connecting rings, two tail acceleration cavities and two permanent magnets, one end of the gas supply pipeline is connected with a gas storage tank, the other end of the gas supply pipeline is connected with the central discharge cavity through a ceramic fixing piece, the helical wave antenna is arranged outside the central discharge cavity in a sleeving mode, and the two ceramic connecting rings are arranged at the two ends of the central discharge cavity respectively. The top ends of the two tail acceleration cavities are connected with the ceramic connecting ring, and the outer walls of the tail acceleration cavities are sleeved with the permanent magnets. By the adoption of the structure, the working medium utilization rate and the energy coupling efficiency of the spiral wave thruster are improved, the working medium application range of the spiral wave thruster is expanded, and therefore the thrust, the specific impulse and the task range of the spiral wave thruster are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of space electric propulsion, and more particularly to a U-shaped double-helix wave thruster. Background Art

[0002] Since the application of electric propulsion technology, after more than a decade of development, not only has its performance been gradually improved, but researchers have also developed more new electric propulsion systems based on different application scenarios and acceleration principles, making electric propulsion technology gradually develop into a new propulsion key discipline that includes many types of thrusters.

[0003] After decades of development, more than a dozen types of electric thrusters have been successfully developed for electric propulsion systems. The main structure of the helicon wave thruster includes a discharge chamber, a radio frequency antenna, and a magnetic circuit system. After the working gas is injected into the discharge chamber through the working gas storage and supply system, it is ionized under the combined action of radio frequency power and static magnetic field to form a plasma, and the electron momentum is converted into directional ion momentum through the acceleration effect spontaneously formed in the helicon wave mode, thereby generating thrust. Since the helicon wave thruster does not require electrodes to accelerate the plasma during operation, it avoids the erosion of key components by the plasma and eliminates the electrode corrosion phenomenon. This structural feature not only makes the service life of this thruster longer than that of other thrusters, but also has a wider range of working gas adaptability. Moreover, the plasma ejected by this thruster is quasi-neutral, so there is no need for a separate neutralizer to neutralize the plume, reducing the complexity of the structure.

[0004] The working principle of the traditional helicon wave thruster is as Figure 1 shown. The working gas is sent into the cavity through gas injection, and the helicon wave antenna is excited by a high-frequency radio frequency power supply to generate helicon waves. The helicon waves interact with the working gas in the cavity to excite and accelerate the plasma. The accelerated plasma is ejected through the thruster outlet to form a high-speed plume, generating thrust to propel the spacecraft. Due to its advantages such as no electrode erosion and simple structure, the helicon wave thruster is suitable for long-duration deep-space missions.

[0005] In the traditional helicon wave thruster, the gas enters from one end of the discharge chamber, and after ionization, magnetic field confinement, transport and acceleration, it is ejected from the other port to form thrust. However, during the ion transport process, some ions will move towards the inlet direction after obtaining energy, thereby depositing the energy in the upstream region, resulting in energy waste and reducing the energy conversion efficiency of the thruster.

[0006] It can be seen that the traditional helicon wave thruster ejects the plasma from a single nozzle by constructing a special magnetic field, which will result in limited thrust and efficiency and insufficient energy utilization. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing helicon wave thruster to obtain higher thrust efficiency and higher energy utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a U-shaped double helical wave thruster to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a U-shaped double helical wave thruster, comprising a gas supply pipeline, a central discharge cavity, a helical wave antenna, a ceramic connecting ring, a tail acceleration cavity and a permanent magnet. The number of the ceramic connecting ring, the tail acceleration cavity and the permanent magnet is two. One end of the gas supply pipeline is connected to a gas storage tank, and the other end of the gas supply pipeline is connected to the central discharge cavity through a ceramic fixing member. The helical wave antenna is sleeved outside the central discharge cavity. The two ceramic connecting rings are respectively arranged at both ends of the central discharge cavity. The tops of the two tail acceleration cavities are both connected to the ceramic connecting ring. The permanent magnet is sleeved on the outer wall of the tail acceleration cavity.

[0009] Preferably, the gas supply pipeline is of a cylindrical structure and is made of stainless steel material.

[0010] Preferably, the central discharge cavity is of a cylindrical structure and is made of quartz or ceramic material.

[0011] Preferably, the helical wave antenna is helical and is made of copper material. The helical wave antenna is connected to a radio frequency power supply.

[0012] Preferably, the ceramic connecting ring is of an L-shaped cylindrical structure and is made of ceramic material.

[0013] Preferably, the ceramic connecting ring, the central discharge cavity and the tail acceleration cavity form a U-shaped channel.

[0014] Preferably, the tail acceleration cavity is of a cylindrical structure and is made of quartz or ceramic material.

[0015] Preferably, nozzles are arranged at the bottoms of the tail acceleration cavities. The magnetic fields of the permanent magnet in the directions of the two nozzles are N pole and S pole respectively.

[0016] Preferably, the permanent magnet is of a cylindrical structure.

[0017] Therefore, by adopting the above U-shaped double helical wave thruster, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) After changing the air inlet to the middle and making both ports face the same direction, the ions moving towards the two ports can be ejected in the same direction, avoiding the problem of upstream energy deposition in the traditional helical wave thruster and improving the energy conversion efficiency;

[0019] (2) Bending the discharge tube of the helical wave thruster into a U shape enables both nozzles to eject plasma in the same direction, realizing the same discharge antenna and driving the structure of the double thruster at the same time.

[0020] (3) In the helicon thruster, the ionization of the gas mainly relies on the electrons obtaining energy in the electromagnetic field and then colliding with the neutral gas to generate ions. The electrons are easily confined by the magnetic field. In this design, the magnetic induction lines in the plume region point from one nozzle to another nozzle. A large number of electrons are confined in the semi-circular region between the two nozzles, increasing the collision frequency between the electrons and the neutral particles, further improving the ionization rate, and thus improving the utilization rate of the working medium.

[0021] (4) The acceleration of the thruster mainly relies on the negative potential formed by the electrons at the nozzle, thus forming the "double-layer acceleration effect". In the present invention, a large number of electrons are confined in the semi-circular region between the two nozzles, greatly reducing the electric potential at this position and enhancing the double-layer acceleration effect.

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the traditional helicon thruster in the background art;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the U-shaped double helicon thruster according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 It is a sectional view of the U-shaped double helicon thruster according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the U-shaped double helicon thruster according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 It is a magnetic field micrograph of the U-shaped double helicon thruster according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Reference Signs

[0029] 1, gas supply pipeline; 2, central discharge cavity; 3, helicon antenna; 4, ceramic connecting ring; 5, tail acceleration cavity; 6, permanent magnet. Detailed Embodiments

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Components of the embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0032] Embodiment

[0033] As Figure 2-4 shown, the present invention provides a U-shaped double-helix wave thruster, which includes a gas supply pipe 1, a central discharge cavity 2, a helical wave antenna 3, a ceramic connection ring 4, a tail acceleration cavity 5, and a permanent magnet 6. The number of the ceramic connection ring 4, the tail acceleration cavity 5, and the permanent magnet 6 is two each.

[0034] The gas supply pipe 1 is of a cylindrical structure and is made of stainless steel. One end of the gas supply pipe 1 is connected to a gas storage tank, and the other end is connected to the central discharge cavity 2 through a ceramic fixing member, for introducing the working gas stored in the gas storage tank into the central discharge cavity 2.

[0035] The central discharge cavity 2 is of a cylindrical structure and is made of quartz or ceramic, for generating high-density plasma.

[0036] The helical wave antenna 3 is helical and is made of copper. It is sleeved outside the central discharge cavity 2. By connecting to a radio frequency power supply, the working gas in the central discharge cavity 2 is ionized to form high-density plasma.

[0037] The ceramic connection ring 4 is of an L-shaped cylindrical structure and is made of ceramic. The two ceramic connection rings 4 are respectively arranged at both ends of the central discharge cavity 2, for connecting the central discharge cavity 2 and the tail acceleration cavity 5 to form a U-shaped channel, so as to simultaneously and coaxially extract the plasma generated by the central discharge cavity 2 from the tail acceleration cavity 5.

[0038] The tail acceleration cavity 5 is of a cylindrical structure and is made of quartz or ceramic. The tops of both tail acceleration cavities 5 are connected to the ceramic connection ring 4. The permanent magnet 6 is sleeved on the outer wall of the tail acceleration cavity 5, and nozzles are provided at the bottoms of both tail acceleration cavities 5. An acceleration magnetic field can be constructed through the permanent magnet 6 to accelerate the plasma generated by the central discharge cavity 2 for generating effective thrust.

[0039] The permanent magnet 6 is of a cylindrical structure and is used to construct an acceleration magnetic field to generate effective thrust. Refer to Figure 5 , the magnetic field at the two nozzles is increased. The magnetic field of the permanent magnet 6 in the direction of the two nozzles is one N pole and one S pole, so that the magnetic force lines point from one nozzle to the other nozzle. The magnetic field is set to be micro and has a strong magnetic field gradient, thereby improving the performance of the thruster. The magnetic field micro is as Figure 5 shown.

[0040] Working principle: The working medium gas enters the interior of the discharge cavity through the gas supply pipeline 1. The working medium gas is ionized by the middle helical wave antenna 3 to form high-density plasma, and a magnetic field is formed by a pair of permanent magnets 6 below to eject the plasma from the two nozzles. Through the U-shaped channel design of the thruster, after injecting the working gas, high-density plasma is generated in the U-shaped channel by using the radio frequency power supply excitation. The helical wave propagates along the U-shaped structure and interacts with the plasma, accelerating and ejecting it towards both ends of the U-shaped channel respectively to form a double plasma plume.

[0041] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above U-shaped double helical wave thruster. The U-shaped structure makes the working area of the thruster more compact, and at the same time, the acceleration effect of the plasma is further enhanced through the efficient transmission of the helical wave, which is suitable for the requirements of high thrust efficiency and flexibility in deep space exploration missions.

[0042] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify or equivalently replace the technical solutions of the present invention, and these modifications or equivalent replacements cannot make the modified technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A U-shaped double helical wave thruster, characterized in that: It includes an air supply pipeline, a central discharge cavity, a spiral wave antenna, a ceramic connecting ring, a tail acceleration cavity and a permanent magnet. The ceramic connecting ring, the tail acceleration cavity and the permanent magnet are all in number of two. One end of the air supply pipeline is connected to the gas storage tank, and the other end of the air supply pipeline is connected to the central discharge cavity through a ceramic fixing. The air supply pipeline is arranged at the center of the central discharge cavity. The spiral wave antenna is sleeved outside the central discharge cavity. The two ceramic connecting rings are respectively arranged at the two ends of the central discharge cavity. The top ends of the two tail acceleration cavities are connected to the ceramic connecting ring. The permanent magnet is sleeved on the outer wall of the tail acceleration cavity.

2. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air supply pipeline is a cylindrical structure and is made of stainless steel.

3. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central discharge chamber is a cylindrical structure and is made of quartz or ceramic material.

4. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spiral wave antenna is spiral-shaped and made of copper material. The spiral wave antenna is connected to a radio frequency power supply.

5. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ceramic connecting ring is an L-shaped cylindrical structure and is made of ceramic material.

6. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ceramic connecting ring, the central discharge cavity and the tail accelerating cavity form a U-shaped channel.

7. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail acceleration chamber is a cylindrical structure and is made of quartz or ceramic material.

8. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom end of the tail acceleration cavity is provided with a nozzle, and the magnetic fields of the permanent magnet in the two directions of the nozzles are respectively N pole and S pole.

9. The U-shaped double helical wave thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The permanent magnet is a cylindrical structure.

Images