An air-breathing electric propulsion air chamber

Abstract

This invention provides an air-breathing electric propulsion air chamber, including a grid, an air inlet, and a rectifying device. The bottom of the grid is connected to the front end of the air inlet, the inner wall of the air inlet has a parabolic structure, and the rear end of the air inlet is connected to a long tube. The rectifying device is mounted inside the air inlet via a support frame. The rectifying device has a convex mirror-like structure, with a parabolic inner wall. Its focal point is the same as the focal point of the parabolic structure on the inner wall of the air inlet, and the opening of the rectifying device faces in the opposite direction to the opening of the air inlet. This invention refracts the incoming gas twice, finally injecting it parallel into the long tube at the rear end of the air chamber. This reduces the collision and corrosion of the long tube wall by air particles, thereby greatly improving the lifespan and performance of the air-breathing electric propulsion system and increasing the gas collection rate, providing a new technical approach for the development of air-breathing electric propulsion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of air-breathing electric propulsion technology, and specifically relates to an air-breathing electric propulsion air intake chamber. Background Technology

[0002] Satellite internet is a key component and major development area of ​​my country's emerging infrastructure. It is a networking technology utilizing dozens to thousands of satellites to provide broadband internet access to users worldwide via an aerial platform. It is particularly suitable for areas where traditional terrestrial network services are difficult to reach, such as aircraft, ships, remote islands, and offshore platforms, demonstrating unique advantages in specific application scenarios. Compared to geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, low Earth orbit (LEO) (160-2000 km) satellite networks exhibit significant stability in terms of lower communication latency, faster speeds, and comprehensive global coverage. In peacetime, satellite networks provide communication services for civilian use. Satellite internet will undoubtedly become a new national-level industry following major national aerospace projects such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and the High Resolution Earth Observation System.

[0003] Meanwhile, remote sensing satellites operating in low Earth orbit (LEO) offer significant advantages, greatly improving resolution and performance. The development of remote sensing satellites in my country is of paramount importance to national development and security. In land resource management and environmental monitoring, remote sensing satellites can provide detailed information on land resources, aiding the nation in effective resource management and planning. For example, remote sensing technology can monitor changes in forest cover, water resource distribution, and land use, providing data support for environmental protection and sustainable development. In disaster prevention and mitigation, remote sensing satellites can monitor natural disasters such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, and typhoons in a timely manner, providing early warnings and reducing losses. In urban planning and management, the high-resolution imagery provided by remote sensing technology is an indispensable tool for urban planning, traffic management, and monitoring of urban expansion, contributing to improved scientific and effective urban management.

[0004] This demonstrates the rapid development and promising future of my country's LEO satellite industry. Air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) technology, as a propulsion system for LEO satellites, possesses significant advantages. ABEP is an electric propulsion technology that utilizes the atmospheric environment in low Earth orbit as a propellant. The greatest advantage of ABEP technology lies in the ability to replenish the propellant at any time, enabling long-term on-orbit service—a feature lacking in many traditional electric propulsion technologies. Furthermore, since the ABEP system does not need to carry its own propellant, but instead uses the air drawn in during propulsion to generate thrust through ionization, the propulsion system can be simplified and made lighter. In the past five years, ABEP research has focused on improving performance and on-orbit flight feasibility, particularly the design of the air intake within the air intake chamber. Due to the low air density in LEO orbit, research both domestically and internationally has primarily focused on modifying the inlet wall structure to refract and concentrate the incoming gas in order to improve the gas collection rate.

[0005] However, because the refracted air particles continuously impact the long tube at the rear end of the intake chamber, constantly corroding its wall, this will lead to: (1) the refracted incoming gas continuously impacting the inner wall of the long tube connecting the intake chamber and the thruster, reducing its lifespan; (2) localized corrosion problems; and (3) because the air particles enter the long tube non-parallel, some gas will be reflected back into the intake chamber, which will reduce the gas collection efficiency. Therefore, the non-parallel air particles entering the long tube at the rear end of the intake chamber after refraction not only affect the gas collection performance but also greatly limit the further development and application of air-breathing electric propulsion. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to change or eliminate the incoming gas that is injected into the long tube at the rear end of the air-breathing chamber in a non-parallel manner, and to improve the lifespan of the air-breathing electric propulsion system, this invention aims to provide an air-breathing electric propulsion air-breathing chamber.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0008] An air-breathing electric propulsion intake chamber includes a grid, an air inlet, and a rectifier. The grid is the first device that the incoming gas comes into contact with, and its bottom is connected to the front end of the air inlet. The inner wall of the air inlet has a parabolic structure, and the rear end of the air inlet is connected to a long tube. The rectifier is installed inside the air inlet via a support frame. The rectifier has a convex mirror-like structure, and its inner wall has a parabolic structure. Its focal point is at the same position as the focal point of the parabolic structure on the inner wall of the air inlet. The opening of the rectifier faces the opposite direction to the opening of the air inlet.

[0009] The grid has a honeycomb structure, and the outer diameter of the grid is the same as the outer diameter of the circular inlet at the front end of the air intake.

[0010] The grille, air intake, rectifier, long tube, and support frame are arranged coaxially.

[0011] The rectifier also includes a solid cylindrical base, with one end of the support frame connected to the bottom of the grid and the other end connected to the solid cylindrical base.

[0012] The support frame is a tripod support structure, with three support legs connected to the bottom of the grid.

[0013] The grid is composed of 60-72 regular hexagons connected side by side, with an outer diameter of 122-130mm, an inner diameter of 112-120mm, and a thickness of 8-10mm.

[0014] The outer diameter of the circular inlet at the front end of the air intake is 122-130mm, the inner diameter is 112-120mm, and the thickness of the inner wall of the air intake is 1-2mm.

[0015] The focal point of the parabolic structure on the inner wall of the air intake is located 5 mm from the rear end of the grid and 30-40 mm from the front end of the long tube.

[0016] The tube is 20mm long and 20mm in diameter.

[0017] The rectifier has an inner diameter of 8mm, an outer diameter of 10mm, and a height of 4mm in its outlet duct.

[0018] The solid cylinder at the bottom of the rectifier has a thickness of 1 mm and a diameter of 4 mm.

[0019] The length of the support leg in the tripod support structure is 62mm; the angle between each support leg and the bottom surface of the grid is 9°-12°.

[0020] The grid injects incoming air into the intake chamber at a velocity of 7900 m / s.

[0021] The rear end of the long tube is connected to a helical wave thruster.

[0022] The grille, air intake, long pipe, rectifier, and rectifier support frame are all made of metal.

[0023] The rectifier and support frame are made of corrosion-resistant specular reflective material.

[0024] The working principle of the above-mentioned intake chamber is as follows:

[0025] First, the entire air intake is placed below the satellite, with its opening facing the direction of the satellite's movement. As the satellite orbits the Earth at cosmic velocity, incoming gas from near space enters the intake at a speed of 7900 m / s. The airflow is refracted to its focal point as it passes the parabolic inner wall of the intake. After passing this focal point (which is also the focal point of the rectifier), the airflow contacts the parabolic inner wall of the rectifier.

[0026] The inner wall of the rectifier refracts the incoming gas flow that has passed through the focal point and then ejects it in parallel. This ensures that all airflow entering the long intake duct is parallel, greatly reducing the impact and corrosion of the long duct by non-parallel airflow.

[0027] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: First, it inherits the advantages of air-breathing electric propulsion, including: (1) It is equipped with a parabolic inlet wall, which greatly improves the collection efficiency of incoming gas. Compared with the conical and pyramidal inlet walls, under the same conditions of inlet-outlet cross-sectional ratio and length, the parabolic inlet has the highest collection efficiency and best performance among the three different configurations of inlet. (2) A honeycomb grid is provided at the front end of the inlet. The grid can effectively block particles reflected back from the inlet and reduce particle loss. Compared with the rivet ring grid and the case without grid, the honeycomb grid has obvious advantages in gas collection efficiency and gas compressibility under the same thickness. (3) The rear end of the intake chamber is connected to a spiral wave thruster. This thruster has lower requirements for the type of working fluid and can make full use of the incoming gas in near-ground space for ionization acceleration. It also has the characteristics of long life and high specific impulse.

[0028] Building upon this foundation, the present invention innovatively designs a rectifying device, effectively solving the problem of airflow damage and corrosion of the long tube caused by non-parallel airflow after refraction through the parabolic inner wall of the inlet. The focal point of the rectifying device is aligned with the focal point of the parabolic inner wall of the inlet, and the two devices are positioned with their openings facing opposite directions. The incoming gas undergoes two refractions before finally entering the long tube at the rear end of the intake chamber in a parallel manner. This reduces the collision and corrosion of the long tube wall by air particles, thereby significantly improving the lifespan and performance of air-breathing electric propulsion. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the air-breathing electric propulsion air chamber after installation according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a top view of the air-breathing electric propulsion air chamber after installation according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a front view of an air-breathing electric propulsion inlet according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a top view of an air-breathing electric propulsion grid according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 This is an enlarged top view of an air-breathing electric propulsion rectifier according to the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a scaled-down view of an air-breathing electric propulsion support frame according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 1 In the middle: 1. Grille; 2. Air intake; 3. Long pipe; 4. Rectifier; 5. Support frame. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can implement it based on the description. The scope of protection of this invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] like Figures 1-6 The air-breathing electric propulsion air chamber shown includes a honeycomb grid 1, an air intake duct 2, a long pipe 3, a rectifier 4, and a rectifier support frame 5, all located on the same axis.

[0039] The bottom of the honeycomb grid 1 is connected to the front end of the air intake duct 2. As the frontmost structure of the entire air intake chamber, it is the first to come into contact with the incoming gas. The honeycomb grid 1 is a regular hexagonal mesh structure with 60 regular hexagonal through holes connected on each side. The outer diameter of the grid 1 is 122mm, the inner diameter is 120mm, and the thickness of the grid is 10mm.

[0040] The air intake duct 2 has a parabolic structure, and its inner wall is also parabolic. The focal point of the parabolic inner wall is located 5 mm from the rear end of the grid 1 and 30 mm from the front end of the long air intake tube 3. The outer diameter of the circular inlet of the air intake duct 2 is 122 mm, the inner diameter is 120 mm, and the thickness of the inner wall of the air intake duct is 1 mm. The rear end of the air intake duct 2 is connected to the front end of the long tube 3.

[0041] The long tube 3 is a component that connects the air intake duct 2 and the spiral wave thruster. It is the last component at the rear end of the intake chamber. The long tube is 20mm long and 20mm in diameter.

[0042] The inner wall of the rectifier 4 has a parabolic structure, and the focal point of the parabolic structure of the inner wall is at the same position as the focal point of the parabolic structure of the inner wall of the air intake 2; the opening direction of the rectifier 4 is opposite to the opening direction of the air intake 2; the inner diameter of the air outlet of the rectifier 4 is 8mm, the outer diameter is 10mm, and the height is 4mm, and it also includes a solid cylindrical base with a thickness of 1mm and a diameter of 4mm; the cylindrical base is connected to the rectifier support frame 5.

[0043] The rectifier support frame 5 is a triangular frame structure; three support legs are connected to the bottom of the grid 1; the other ends of the three support legs are connected to the cylindrical base of the rectifier 4; the angle between each adjacent support leg is equal, and the length of each support leg is equal to 62mm; the angle between each support leg and the bottom surface of the grid is 9°.

[0044] The air content injected into the air intake space outside the honeycomb grid 1 is an airflow with a velocity of 7900m / s.

[0045] The grille 1, air intake 2, long pipe 3, rectifier 4, and support frame 5 are all made of metal.

[0046] The rectifier 4 and the support frame 5 are made of corrosion-resistant mirror-reflective material.

[0047] The working principle of the above-mentioned intake chamber is as follows:

[0048] First, the air intake chamber is installed below the satellite, with the opening of the air intake duct 2 facing the satellite's path. As the satellite orbits the Earth at the first cosmic velocity (approximately 7900 m / s), airflow from near-Earth space is introduced into the air intake duct 2 through the honeycomb grid 1. During this process, the airflow first encounters the parabolic structure of the inner wall of the air intake duct 2. This unique inner wall shape effectively refracts the airflow towards a focal point. This focal point is not only the focal point of the air intake duct 2 but also the focal point of the subsequent rectification device 4.

[0049] Secondly, as the airflow continues forward, it passes the focal point of the parabolic inner wall and then comes into contact with the inner wall of the rectifying device 4. The inner wall of the rectifying device 4 also adopts a parabolic structure, which can further rectify the airflow that has been refracted by the focal point, making it ejected in parallel. This carefully designed process ensures that the airflow entering the long tube 3 enters in a parallel form, significantly reducing the impact and corrosion damage that non-parallel airflow may cause to the inner wall of the long tube 3.

[0050] This design effectively improves gas capture efficiency while protecting the equipment from potential wear and tear from high-speed airflow. These design considerations not only extend the satellite's lifespan in orbit but also provide new insights for the design of future space exploration and satellite propulsion systems.

[0051] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air-breathing electric propulsion air-breathing chamber, characterized by: The application relates to a grid (1), an air inlet channel (2) and a flow regulating device (4); the bottom of the grid (1) is connected with the front end of the air inlet channel (2); the inner wall of the air inlet channel (2) is in a parabolic structure; the rear end of the air inlet channel (2) is connected with a long pipe (3); the flow regulating device (4) is installed in the air inlet channel (2) through a support frame (5); the flow regulating device (4) is in a convex mirror structure, the inner wall is in a parabolic structure, the focal point of the flow regulating device (4) is the same as the focal point of the parabolic structure of the inner wall of the air inlet channel (2), the opening direction of the flow regulating device (4) is opposite to the opening direction of the air inlet channel (2); the grid (1), the air inlet channel (2), the long pipe (3), the flow regulating device (4) and the support frame (5) are coaxially arranged.

2. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grid (1) is in a honeycomb structure, the outer diameter size of the grid (1) is the same as the outer diameter size of the circular inlet of the front end of the air inlet channel (2).

3. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The flow regulating device (4) further comprises a solid cylindrical base, one end of the support frame (5) is connected with the bottom of the grid (1), and the other end is connected with the solid cylindrical base.

4. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support frame (5) is a tripod support structure, and three support legs are connected with the bottom of the grid (1).

5. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The grid (1) is composed of 60-72 regular hexagons, the outer diameter size is 122-130 mm, the inner diameter size is 112-120 mm, and the thickness of the grid is 8-10 mm; the outer diameter size of the circular inlet of the front end of the air inlet channel is 122-130 mm, the inner diameter size is 112-120 mm, and the thickness of the inner wall of the air inlet channel is 1-2 mm.

6. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The focal point of the parabolic structure of the inner wall of the air inlet channel is located at a position 5 mm away from the rear end of the grid and 30-40 mm away from the front end of the long pipe.

7. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The outlet diameter of the flow regulating device (4) is 8 mm, the outer diameter is 10 mm, and the height is 4 mm.

8. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The angle between each support leg and the bottom surface of the grid is 9-12 degrees.

9. A sorptive electric propulsion gettmg chamber as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The rear end of the long pipe (3) is connected with a spiral wave thruster.

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