Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system and test method

Abstract

The invention relates to a Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system and test method, belongs to the technical field of Hall thruster electric propulsion life test, and solves the technical problems of complex Hall electric propulsion life test process and poor fault diagnosis capability of a measurement and control system. The service life test system comprises a test measurement and control system, a decision service platform and a vacuum measurement and control system. The decision service platform comprises decision platform software, a fault diagnosis system and a data server. The service life test method comprises the steps of Hall thruster installation, test measurement and control system inspection and test, vacuum measurement and control system inspection and operation, power supply and flowmeter output parameter setting, cathode activation and ignition test. The device is used for Hall thruster electric propulsion automation vacuum environment life test.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of Hall thruster electric propulsion life test, and particularly relates to a Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system and a test method. Background Art

[0002] Regarding the life design of Hall thrusters, there is currently no practical and effective theoretical prediction method internationally. The most accurate method is to verify through 1:1 ground life tests, that is, to simulate the on-orbit environment and conduct continuous ignition tests according to the rated operating conditions until the performance of the thruster product degrades, so as to determine the ultimate life of the product. The life test of Hall thrusters takes a long time. The on-orbit life of satellites and other spacecraft may reach 5 to 15 years, corresponding to the life design requirements of Hall thrusters reaching thousands of hours or even tens of thousands of hours. In addition, there are many devices involved in the test process of Hall thrusters (including vacuum systems, propellant supply systems, power supply systems, and test products, etc.), a large number of parameters need to be collected and monitored, and the failure modes are complex. Currently, the life test still mainly relies on manual operation and monitoring, with low test automation, low efficiency, and high labor costs.

[0003] The difficulties of this technology are as follows:

[0004] 1) The test process of Hall electric propulsion is complex, and individual processes require professional personnel to judge the ignition state.

[0005] 2) The fault diagnosis ability of the test measurement and control system is insufficient. Currently, there are hundreds of fault experience modes and dozens of key fault diagnosis parameters in the test process of Hall thrusters. Fault diagnosis and disposal require professional personnel to be on duty.

[0006] 3) There are many devices and key parameters involved, and it is difficult to coordinate and overall operate multiple system resources. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to overcome the complexity of the Hall electric propulsion life test process and the insufficient fault diagnosis ability of the measurement and control system, the present invention proposes a Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system and a test method.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is:

[0009] A Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system includes a test measurement and control system, a decision-making service platform, and a vacuum measurement and control system.

[0010] The decision-making service platform is respectively connected to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system for signal transmission.

[0011] The decision-making service platform includes decision-making platform software, a fault diagnosis system, and a data server, which are used to issue start and stop instructions to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system, and collect the parameter values in the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system. The fault diagnosis system makes a comprehensive judgment on the collected parameters and analyzes and identifies the fault modes. Through the fault handling methods prefabricated in the decision-making platform software, the fault status monitoring and decision-making are realized, instructions are issued to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system, and the automated processing is completed. The data server stores all the data of the parameters of the Hall thruster to be tested and the parameters of the vacuum measurement and control system, and forms a redundant data storage function with the upper computers of the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system.

[0012] The test measurement and control system conducts independent measurement and control of the ignition of the Hall thruster to be tested, and is used for the power supply control and voltage and current acquisition of the power supply group of the Hall thruster to be tested, the flow control and acquisition of the Xe gas working medium supply system, the pressure acquisition of the working medium supply pipeline, the vacuum degree, the temperature of the fine pumping pump, the temperature and pressure of the cooling water, the anode and cathode temperature acquisition of the Hall thruster to be tested, and the thrust measurement and calibration result recording.

[0013] The vacuum measurement and control system conducts independent measurement and control of the vacuum pumping operation, and is used for the measurement and control of the roots pump, molecular pump, cryogenic pump, xenon pump, cooling water, and accessory valves, and the acquisition of the cold head temperature, cabin temperature, vacuum degree, valve status, and power status.

[0014] In the above life test system, the test measurement and control system realizes parameter acquisition and flow control through a PLC controller, analog channel excitation and conditioning, and a serial port hub.

[0015] The above life test system includes the following functional modules:

[0016] Functional module 1, vacuum system equipment control and status display

[0017] It includes automatic, manual, and single-step equipment control, the detection of the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber, the cooling water status, the power supply status parameters, and the interlock between the parameters. The vacuum measurement and control system takes the cold head temperature of the cryogenic pump as the core monitored quantity.

[0018] Functional module 2, single Hall thruster measurement and control and status display

[0019] It includes automatic, manual, and single-step control of the equipment, and the measurement and collection of the working state of the Hall thruster and the pressure of the working medium gas source. The test measurement and control system takes voltage and current as the core detection quantities.

[0020] Functional module 3, safety and fault module setting and status display

[0021] It includes controlling the vacuum and the mutual protection relationship between individual machines, setting the automatic operation process under abnormal conditions; when a certain parameter exceeds the preset value, the decision-making service platform issues shutdown or startup instructions to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system according to the pre-plan to ensure the safe and stable operation of ignition.

[0022] Function module 4, setting and processing of the high-speed acquisition module

[0023] Set the parameters of the low-frequency oscillation, ignition current impact and ignition startup waveform of the Hall thruster, and perform identification and analysis, and display the detection results.

[0024] Function module 5, setting and processing of the thrust measurement module

[0025] Set and process the thrust measurement unit, including the measurement and calibration of thrust, and real-time display of the thrust measurement results.

[0026] Function module 6, auxiliary functions

[0027] It includes storage parameter setting, real-time data reporting, and timely external notification of faults.

[0028] A method for the life test of a Hall thruster in an electric propulsion vacuum environment includes the following steps:

[0029] Step 1, installation of the Hall thruster

[0030] The Hall thruster to be tested is installed on the thrust stand and connected to the pipelines and cables of the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system.

[0031] Step 2, inspection and testing of the test measurement and control system

[0032] Adjust the pressure and flow rate of the working medium supply pipeline, and conduct inspection and testing on the working medium supply pipeline; the power supply connection and measurement point connection of the Hall thruster to be tested are normal.

[0033] Step 3, inspection and operation of the vacuum measurement and control system

[0034] The cooling water, roughing pump, and fine pumping pump are operating normally; the vacuum degree reaches the set value, and it is left standing for a certain period of time to replace the gas inside the Hall thruster to be tested and in the cabin pipelines.

[0035] Step 4, setting of the output parameters of the power supply and flowmeter:

[0036] Adjust the output parameters of the power supply and the flowmeter and set them to the set output parameters.

[0037] Step 5, cathode activation

[0038] Heat the cathode to the quasi-working state and activate it by energization.

[0039] Step 6, ignition test

[0040] The anode is energized, and the Hall thruster to be tested is ignited until the ignition ends.

[0041] Step 7, Thruster cooling

[0042] After the ignition ends, the high-vacuum environment is maintained, and xenon gas is passed through the cathode at the rated flow rate for 6 h to cool the product.

[0043] Step 8, Warm-up of the cryopump in the vacuum chamber

[0044] After the thruster cooling ends, the cryopump stops working and starts to automatically warm up to room temperature.

[0045] Step 9, Open the chamber, and record the multimedia of the thruster and the connection status

[0046] Step 10, Remove the thruster

[0047] Using the Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system, test the vacuum environment life of the Hall thruster to be tested.

[0048] In the above life test method, the Hall thruster to be tested is a single unit or multiple units.

[0049] In the above life test method, in Step 3, the standing time is 12 h.

[0050] The above life test method further includes Step 7, removing the Hall thruster: After the Hall thruster to be tested is cooled to room temperature, the cryopump warms up, the chamber is opened, and the Hall thruster to be tested is removed and taken off the stage.

[0051] In the above life test method, in Step 7, the cooling time of the Hall thruster to be tested is 6 h.

[0052] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0053] A Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system, a fault diagnosis system is set in the decision-making service platform to realize the automation of the Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test.

[0054] A Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test method constructs a universal programmatic framework, visualizes and makes editable the test processes within the programmatic framework. Through classified and step-by-step calls, it is applicable to the fully automated life tests of different types of Hall thruster products in a high-vacuum environment, and solves the problem of low automation degree in the existing Hall electric propulsion tests.

[0055] A method for the life test of a Hall thruster electric propulsion in a vacuum environment overcomes the limitations of traditional test modes. Through the refinement and digitization of the Hall electric propulsion test process, the automation of complex test steps is achieved. And through the full-process health status monitoring method of multi-system autonomous fault diagnosis and overall decision-making by the central service platform, the previous operation mode that requires continuous manual on-duty is completely changed. It effectively solves the problem of resource consumption in long-term and large-scale tests, greatly improves work efficiency and safety, reduces labor costs, and at the same time breaks the time and space limitations of traditional test methods. The present invention can also be extended and applied to other types of aerospace power system tests, such as the life test of long-life liquid rocket attitude and orbit control engines, the development test of new models of power systems with higher risks, etc. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0056] Figure 1 is the flow chart of the life test of the Hall thruster electric propulsion in a vacuum environment in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 2 is the schematic diagram of the life test system of the Hall thruster electric propulsion in a vacuum environment in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 3 is the schematic diagram of the automation process of the life test of the Hall thruster electric propulsion in a vacuum environment in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 4 is the schematic diagram of the functional modules of the life test system of the Hall thruster electric propulsion in a vacuum environment in the first embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Embodiment

[0060] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0061] Embodiment 1

[0062] A fully automated high-vacuum environment life test method for Hall thruster electric propulsion relies on the existing manual operation process of Hall thruster tests and step-by-step refines its life test process. As Figure 1 shown, the specific process is as follows:

[0063] ① The test product is installed on the thrust frame in the chamber, and single or multiple thrusters are installed and pipeline and cable connections are completed according to the actual situation;

[0064] ② The working medium supply pipeline is tested, mainly including pressure regulation and flow regulation, the measurement and control system is inspected and tested, and the power supply connection and measurement point connection of the thruster are measured to be normal;

[0065] ③ The operating status of the measurement and control system is checked and the test conditions are recorded;

[0066] ④Check and run the vacuum pumping system, and confirm that the cooling water, roughing pump, fine pumping pump, etc. are operating normally;

[0067] ⑤After the vacuum degree meets the conditions, let it stand for 12 h to displace the gas inside the thruster and the pipeline in the cabin;

[0068] ⑥Confirm the adjustment of power output and the adjustment of flowmeter output;

[0069] ⑦Heat the cathode to the quasi-working state and activate the cathode by electrifying it;

[0070] ⑧Electrify the anode and start the ignition test;

[0071] ⑨After the test is completed, cool the thruster for 6 h;

[0072] ⑩Let the cryopump return to room temperature and prepare to open the cabin;

[0073] Inspection and recording after the test;

[0074] Remove the product and take it off the stage.

[0075] According to Figure 1 As shown in the test flow chart, the steps within the green wireframe are the most time-consuming, complex, and important parts in the Hall electric propulsion life test. This method can fully automate this part of the test content and specifically consider from two aspects: both the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system can independently complete their respective tasks, measure and control the equipment, process parameters, and controlled objects within each system, and carry out work according to the predetermined process. At the same time, a decision-making service platform is set up to complete the secondary unified scheduling and observation of the automated test process.

[0076] The fully automated high-vacuum environment life test system for Hall thruster electric propulsion, as Figure 2 shown, consists of a test measurement and control system + a decision-making service platform + a vacuum measurement and control system, and completes the full-process program automatic control, measurement of various parameters, system status monitoring, and automated emergency handling during the full-process operation of the Hall thruster working system. By adopting a number of mature and effective control and measurement methods, it ensures the stable operation of the Hall thruster and the vacuum system according to the predetermined program. The test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system transmit measurement parameters to each other to form an integrated automatic measurement and control function. The composition of the life test system is shown in the following table.

[0077] Table 1 Composition table of the life test system

[0078]

[0079] Design method of the test measurement and control system: Through the excitation and conditioning of analog channels, the system completes the power supply control and voltage and current acquisition of the Hall thruster power supply group, the flow control and acquisition of the Xe gas working medium supply system, the pressure acquisition of the working medium supply pipeline, the acquisition of the vacuum degree, the temperature of the fine vacuum pump, and the temperature and pressure of the cooling water, the temperature acquisition of the thruster anode and cathode, and the thrust measurement and calibration result recording. Through the prefabricated fault handling mechanism of the fault diagnosis system, the system completes autonomous operation.

[0080] Design method of the decision-making service platform: The decision-making platform software is arranged on the data server, collects all parameter values in the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system, and through the comprehensive judgment of multiple parameters by the fault diagnosis system, analyzes and identifies various fault modes. By prefabricating the processing methods in different fault states in the platform, the fault state monitoring and decision-making are completed, and instructions are sent to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system to complete the automatic processing of the test system. The data server stores all data of the thruster parameters and vacuum parameters, forming a redundant data storage function with the upper computers of each system.

[0081] Design method of the vacuum measurement and control system: The vacuum measurement and control system measures and controls the roots pump, molecular pump, cryopump, xenon pump, cooling water, and auxiliary valves, and collects the cold head temperature, cabin temperature, vacuum degree, valve state, and power state, and uploads the measured parameters. Through the prefabricated fault handling mechanism of the fault diagnosis system, the system completes automatic operation.

[0082] The test measurement and control system completes the acquisition of various types of parameters and flow control by setting up a PLC controller, analog channel excitation and conditioning, and a serial port hub. Through the collaborative work between systems, the fully automatic test of the Hall thruster can be realized, and the automatic test process is shown in Figure 3 as follows.

[0083] The electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system of the Hall thruster mainly integrates functional modules such as Figure 4 as follows, specifically including:

[0084] 1) Vacuum system equipment control and status display, including automatic, manual, and single-step equipment control, detection of all parameters (cabin vacuum degree, cooling water status, power supply status), and interlocking between parameters. The vacuum system intends to use the cold head temperature of the cryopump as the core monitored quantity, and other conditions as auxiliary judgment conditions;

[0085] 2) Single-unit Hall thruster measurement and control and status display, including automatic, manual, and single-step control of the equipment, and measurement and collection of the thruster working status and working medium gas source pressure, etc. This unit intends to use voltage and current as the core detected quantities, including protection according to thresholds for steady-state and dynamic conditions;

[0086] 3) Safety and fault module setting and status display. Control the mutual protection relationship between the vacuum and single machine, and set the automatic operation process in case of abnormality; when a certain parameter abnormally exceeds the preset value, the decision-making platform issues shutdown or startup instructions to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system respectively according to the plan to ensure the safe and stable operation of the whole system;

[0087] 4) High-speed acquisition module setting and processing. Set the parameter identification and analysis of the low-frequency oscillation, ignition current impact and ignition startup waveform of the Hall thruster, and display the detection results;

[0088] 5) Thrust measurement module setting and processing. Set and process the thrust measurement unit, including thrust measurement and calibration, and display the thrust measurement results in real time;

[0089] 6) Other auxiliary functions, including storage parameter setting, data real-time reporting, fault notification, etc.

Claims

1. A Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system, characterized in that, It includes a test measurement and control system, a decision-making service platform, and a vacuum measurement and control system; The decision-making service platform is respectively connected to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system for signal transmission; The decision-making service platform includes decision-making platform software, a fault diagnosis system, and a data server, which are used to issue start and stop instructions to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system, and collect parameter values in the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system; the fault diagnosis system makes a comprehensive judgment on the collected parameters, analyzes and identifies the fault mode; through the fault handling methods prefabricated in the decision-making platform software, it realizes fault status monitoring and decision-making, issues instructions to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system, and completes automatic processing; The data server stores all the data of the parameters of the Hall thruster to be tested and the parameters of the vacuum measurement and control system, and forms a redundant data storage function with the upper computers of the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system; The test measurement and control system independently measures and controls the ignition of the Hall thruster to be tested, and is used for the power supply control and voltage and current acquisition of the power supply group of the Hall thruster to be tested, the flow control and acquisition of the Xe gas working medium supply system, the pressure acquisition of the working medium supply pipeline, the vacuum degree, the temperature of the fine pumping pump, the temperature and pressure of the cooling water, the anode and cathode temperatures of the Hall thruster to be tested, and the thrust measurement and calibration result recording; The vacuum measurement and control system independently measures and controls the vacuum pumping operation, and is used for measuring and controlling the roots pump, molecular pump, cryogenic pump, xenon pump, cooling water, and auxiliary valves, and collecting the cold head temperature, cabin temperature, vacuum degree, valve status, and power status; 2. The Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system according to claim 1, wherein The test measurement and control system realizes parameter acquisition and flow control through a PLC controller, analog channel excitation and conditioning, and a serial port hub; 3. The Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It includes the following functional modules: Functional module 1, vacuum system equipment control and status display: It includes automatic, manual, and single-step equipment control, the detection of parameters such as the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber, the cooling water status, and the power supply status, and the interlock between parameters; the vacuum measurement and control system takes the cold head temperature of the cryogenic pump as the core monitoring quantity; Functional module 2, single Hall thruster measurement and control and status display: It includes automatic, manual, and single-step control of the equipment, and the measurement and collection of the working state of the Hall thruster and the pressure of the working medium gas source; the test measurement and control system takes voltage and current as the core detection quantities; Functional module 3, safety and fault module setting and status display: It includes controlling the mutual protection relationship between the vacuum and the single machine, and setting the automatic operation process in case of abnormality; when a certain parameter exceeds the preset value, the decision-making service platform issues shutdown or start instructions to the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system respectively according to the plan to ensure the safe and stable operation of ignition; Functional module 4, high-speed acquisition module setting and processing: Set the parameters of the low-frequency oscillation, spark current impact, and ignition start waveform of the Hall thruster, and perform identification and analysis, and display the detection results; Functional module 5, thrust measurement module setting and processing: Set and process the thrust measurement unit, including thrust measurement, calibration, and real-time display of the thrust measurement results; Functional module 6, auxiliary functions: It includes storage parameter setting, data real-time reporting, and timely external notification of faults.

4. A method for testing the life of a Hall thruster in an electric propulsion vacuum environment, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: Step 1, Installation of Hall thruster: The Hall thruster to be tested is installed on the thrust stand and connected to the pipelines and cables of the test measurement and control system and the vacuum measurement and control system; Step 2, Inspection and testing of the test measurement and control system: Adjust the pressure and flow rate of the working medium supply pipeline, and inspect and test the working medium supply pipeline; ensure that the power supply connection and measurement point connection of the Hall thruster to be tested are normal; Step 3, Inspection and operation of the vacuum measurement and control system: The cooling water, roughing pump, and fine pumping pump are operating normally; the vacuum degree reaches the set value, and after standing for a certain period of time, the gas inside the Hall thruster to be tested and the pipelines in the cabin is replaced; Step 4, Setting of the output parameters of the power supply and flowmeter: Adjust the output parameters of the power supply and the flowmeter and set them to the set output parameters; Step 5, Cathode activation: Heat the cathode to the quasi-working state and activate it by electrification; Step 6, Ignition test: Apply power to the anode, and the Hall thruster to be tested ignites until the ignition is completed; Use the Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test system to test the vacuum environment life of the Hall thruster to be tested.

5. The Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test method according to claim 4, characterized in that The Hall thruster to be tested is a single unit or multiple units.

6. The Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test method according to claim 4, wherein In Step 3, the standing time is 12 hours.

7. The method for the life test of a Hall thruster in an electric propulsion vacuum environment according to claim 4, characterized in that It also includes Step 7, Removal of the Hall thruster; Cool the Hall thruster to be tested to room temperature, let the cryopump return to temperature, open the cabin, and remove and take down the Hall thruster to be tested.

8. The Hall thruster electric propulsion vacuum environment life test method according to claim 7, characterized in that In Step 7, the cooling time of the Hall thruster to be tested is 6 hours.

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