Ionic liquid thruster for improving liquid supply uniformity

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ionic liquid thruster capable of improving liquid supply uniformity. The ionic liquid thruster comprises an outer extraction electrode, an inner extraction electrode, an outer emitting electrode and an inner emitting electrode, the outer extraction electrode surrounds the inner extraction electrode, a spraying gap is reserved between the outer extraction electrode and the inner extraction electrode, the inner emitting electrode is sleeved with the outer emitting electrode, a gap is reserved in the sleeving position of the outer emitting electrode and the inner emitting electrode to form a liquid flow channel, a liquid inlet channel is formed in the outer emitting electrode, and the liquid inlet channel is communicated with the liquid flow channel; the tip of the inner emitting electrode is aligned with the spraying gap, a height difference is formed between the tip of the inner emitting electrode and the tip of the outer emitting electrode to form a liquid storage tank, and the liquid storage tank is communicated with the liquid flow channel; the structure for improving the liquid supply uniformity does not need to depend on high-precision machining, even can make up for inconsistent liquid supply caused by machining errors, is simple in structure, can adjust the size at will along with the diameter change of an emitting electrode, and can reduce the cost due to the low machining precision requirement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of ionic liquid thrusters, in particular to an ionic liquid thruster with improved liquid supply uniformity. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of commercial aerospace, the number of global spacecraft launches has increased year by year. In order to meet the low-cost needs of commercial aerospace, micro-nano satellites, as a highly versatile and economical satellite resource, have become one of the main areas of satellite development.

[0003] Due to the structural limitations of micro-nano satellites, their propulsion systems need to have specific features such as small mass and volume, low power, and simple structure. Electric propulsion, as an efficient and low-power propulsion method, meets the needs of micro-nano satellites. At present, the mainstream electric propulsion technologies include Hall thrusters and ion thrusters. These two thrusters are relatively mature, but their working fluids are rare gases such as xenon or krypton, and the global storage is limited. SpaceX Starlink uses a large number of these two thrusters, which will lead to scarcity of working fluids and increased costs. As a micro electric thruster, the ionic liquid field launch thruster, whose working fluid ionic liquid can be synthesized artificially, has the characteristics of being green and non-toxic, low cost, and easy to obtain. In addition, ionic liquid thrusters also have the characteristics of simple structure, light mass, small size, high specific impulse, high efficiency, high thrust accuracy, low power and self-neutralization, which are very suitable for use as thrusters for micro-nano satellites.

[0004] Ionic liquid thrusters are based on the principle of electrospray. The potential difference between the emitter and the extractor forms an emission beam of the working fluid to generate thrust. The thrust of a single emitter is small. In order to improve the thrust of the ionic liquid thruster, the emitter shape can be designed as a linear structure, such as a ribbed strip, a circular ring, etc. The ribbed strip structure will cause the electric field intensity to be concentrated due to the end face, making the emission uneven, while the circular ring structure has a consistent electric field intensity distribution, which can form a uniform emission.

[0005] The ionic liquid thruster needs to supply the working fluid to the tip of the emitter. Under the action of the potential difference between the extractor and the emitter, the ionic liquid forms a Taylor cone at the tip of the emitter and emits a charged beam. The liquid of a single capillary emitter is supplied to the tip through the internal flow channel of the capillary, and there is no problem of uneven flow. However, the thrust of a single capillary is small and cannot adapt to a variety of space missions, so it is necessary to change the emitter configuration to increase the thrust. The array emitter integrates a large number of emitters in a small area through etching and other methods, and the ribbed emitter structure is obtained by etching or machining. The flow consistency of this type of emitter depends on the consistency of the material flow resistance. Under the conditions of tiny size and extremely low flow, it is impossible to ensure that the flow resistance is uniform everywhere in the emitter, resulting in the concentrated emission of some emitters. The flow consistency of the emitter prepared by this method depends on the uniformity of material preparation, processing accuracy, etc. The use of a slit-type emitter structure will lead to uneven emission due to the inconsistency of the slit width. Utility Model Content

[0006] The utility model aims to provide an ionic liquid thruster with improved liquid supply uniformity, so as to solve the problem of poor liquid supply uniformity in the prior art.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides an ionic liquid thruster with improved liquid supply uniformity, comprising an outer extractor, an inner extractor, an outer emitter and an inner emitter; the outer extractor is surrounded by the outer extractor, and an injection gap is left between the outer extractor and the inner extractor; the outer emitter is sleeved outside the inner emitter, and a gap is left at the sleeve joint between the outer emitter and the inner emitter to form a liquid flow channel, and a liquid inlet channel is provided on the outer emitter, and the liquid inlet channel is connected to the liquid flow channel; the tip of the inner emitter is aligned with the injection gap, and a height difference is set between the tip of the inner emitter and the tip of the outer emitter to form a liquid storage tank, and the liquid storage tank is connected to the liquid flow channel.

[0008] In one embodiment, the inner emitter includes a chassis and an inner pole arranged on the chassis, and the chassis is provided with a groove around the outer circumference of the inner pole; the outer emitter is embedded in the groove, and the inner circumferential wall of the outer emitter and the outer circumferential wall of the inner pole are separated from each other to form the liquid flow channel.

[0009] In one embodiment, the inner pole includes an inner pole section and an inner tip section connected to each other, and the inner pole section is connected to the chassis; the outer emitter includes an outer pole section and an outer tip section connected to each other; the outer pole section is installed in the groove, and the outer pole section is provided with the liquid inlet channel, the inner peripheral wall of the outer pole section and the outer peripheral wall of the inner pole section are separated from each other to form a liquid storage cavity, and the liquid storage cavity is respectively connected to the liquid inlet channel and the liquid flow channel; the outer tip section and the inner tip section are separated from each other to form the liquid flow channel.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, a gasket is provided at the bottom of the groove, and the outer column section is supported on the gasket.

[0011] In one embodiment, the gasket is copper foil.

[0012] In one embodiment, the distance between the inner emitter and the injection gap is smaller than the distance between the outer emitter and the injection gap.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, a plurality of clips are provided on the outer emitter, and the plurality of clips are connected and installed with the inner emitter.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows:

[0015] The structure for improving liquid supply uniformity provided by the utility model does not need to rely on high-precision processing, and can even make up for the inconsistent liquid supply caused by processing errors. It has a simple structure, and its size can be adjusted at will as the diameter of the emitter changes. Low processing accuracy requirements can reduce costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the implementation mode will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some implementation modes of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the emitter composition structure;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of ;

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a local enlarged structure;

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of Taylor cone distribution provided by an embodiment of the utility model.

[0022] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0023] 100, emitter;

[0024] 10. External extraction pole;

[0025] 20. Internal extraction pole;

[0026] 30. External emitter; 31. Liquid inlet channel; 321. External column section; 322. External tip section; 33. Buckle;

[0027] 40, inner emitter; 41, chassis; 42, inner pole; 421, inner pole section; 422, inner tip section; 43, groove; 44, gasket;

[0028] 50. Spray gap;

[0029] 60. Working fluid;

[0030] 71. liquid flow channel; 72. liquid storage tank; 73. liquid storage cavity;

[0031] 80, Taylor cone;

[0032] 90. Charged beam. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] The utility model provides an ionic liquid thruster for improving the uniformity of liquid supply, and its implementation is as follows: Figures 1 to 5 As shown, it includes an outer extractor 10, an inner extractor 20, an outer emitter 30 and an inner emitter 40; wherein, Figure 1 The emitter 100 shown represents the entirety of the outer emitter 30 and the inner emitter 40 combined.

[0035] Regarding the outer extraction electrode 10 and the inner extraction electrode 20, as shown in Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the middle part of the outer extraction electrode 10 is a through structure, so the outer extraction electrode 10 can be surrounded by the inner extraction electrode 20, and the outer peripheral wall of the through structure in the middle part of the outer extraction electrode 10 is separated from the inner peripheral wall of the inner extraction electrode 20, so that an injection gap 50 is left between the outer extraction electrode 10 and the inner extraction electrode 20, thereby facilitating the injection of the working fluid 60 through the injection gap 50.

[0036] Regarding the external emitter 30, Figures 1 to 4As shown, the core is that an external emitter 30 needs to be set outside the internal emitter 40, so that a gap is left at the joint between the external emitter 30 and the internal emitter 40 to form a liquid flow channel 71, and a liquid inlet channel 31 is provided on the external emitter 30 to ensure the conduction between the liquid inlet channel 31 and the liquid flow channel 71.

[0037] As for the inner emitter 40, Figures 1 to 4 As shown, it is necessary to set the tip of the inner emitter 40 to align with the injection gap 50, and set a height difference between the tip of the inner emitter 40 and the tip of the outer emitter 30 to form a liquid storage tank 72, and the liquid storage tank 72 is connected to the liquid flow channel 71.

[0038] Therefore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned design requirements of the external emitter 30 and the internal emitter 40, this embodiment arranges the internal emitter 40 to include a chassis 41 and an inner pole 42 arranged on the chassis 41, and the chassis 41 is provided with a groove 43 around the outer peripheral side of the inner pole 42; the external emitter 30 is installed in the groove 43, and the inner peripheral wall of the external emitter 30 and the outer peripheral wall of the inner pole 42 are separated from each other to form a liquid flow channel 71.

[0039] Among them, the inner pole 42 includes an inner pole section 421 and an inner tip section 422 connected to each other, and the inner pole section 421 is connected to the chassis 41; and the outer emitter 30 includes an outer pole section 321 and an outer tip section 322 connected to each other; at this time, the outer pole section 321 is installed in the groove 43, and a liquid inlet channel 31 is provided on the outer pole section 321, so after the inner peripheral wall of the outer pole section 321 and the outer peripheral wall of the inner pole section 421 are separated from each other to form a liquid storage chamber 73, the liquid storage chamber 73 will be able to be connected to the liquid inlet channel 31 and the liquid flow channel 71 respectively; finally, the liquid flow channel 71 can be formed by separating the outer tip section 322 and the inner tip section 422 from each other.

[0040] In addition, a gasket 44 is provided at the bottom of the groove 43, and the outer column section 321 is supported on the gasket 44, thereby realizing the separation between the inner wall of the outer tip section 322 and the outer wall of the inner tip section 422. Specifically in this embodiment, the gasket 44 is set to copper foil.

[0041] Furthermore, the distance between the inner emitter 40 and the injection gap 50 of this embodiment is smaller than the distance between the outer emitter 30 and the injection gap 50, thereby achieving a height difference setting between the tip of the inner emitter 40 and the tip of the outer emitter 30, so that the liquid storage tank 72 is formed.

[0042] Finally, in this embodiment, a plurality of buckles 33 are provided on the outer emitter 30 , and the plurality of buckles 33 are connected and installed with the inner emitter 40 , so as to realize the installation and fixation between the outer emitter 30 and the inner emitter 40 .

[0043] When the above-mentioned ionic liquid thruster is applied, the working liquid 60 is sent to the liquid storage chamber 73 through the liquid inlet channel 31, and then flows through the liquid flow channel 71 to reach the liquid storage tank 72 for storage. Once the ionic liquid thruster is started to generate a corresponding electric field, under the action of capillary force and the corresponding electric field force, the working liquid 60 in the liquid storage tank 72 will move toward the tip of the inner emitter 40; then, under the action of the electric field force, the working liquid 60 forms a Taylor cone 80 at the tip of the emitter. When the electric field force overcomes the surface tension of the working liquid 60, a charged beam 90 is formed. The charged beam 90 passes through the injection gap 50 between the inner extraction electrode 20 and the outer extraction electrode 10 to generate effective thrust.

[0044] It should be noted that in order to meet the movement of the working fluid 60, the inner emitter 40 should be plasma cleaned, and the processing conditions are: 140 ml of argon per minute, plasma discharge power of 90 watts, and processing time of 90 seconds; and the image of the emitter tip when working is taken by a camera from the direction shown in the cross-sectional view, such as Figure 5 As shown, the Taylor cone 80 is evenly distributed on both sides of the emitter tip.

[0045] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the structure for improving liquid supply uniformity provided by the utility model does not need to rely on high-precision processing, and can even make up for the inconsistent liquid supply caused by processing errors. It has a simple structure and its size can be adjusted at will as the diameter of the emitter changes. Low processing accuracy requirements can reduce costs.

[0046] The above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that a person skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention. These improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ionic liquid thruster for improving liquid supply uniformity, characterized in that: It includes an external extractor, an internal extractor, an external emitter and an internal emitter; The outer extraction pole is surrounded by the inner extraction pole, and an injection gap is left between the outer extraction pole and the inner extraction pole; The outer emitter is sleeved outside the inner emitter, a gap is left at the sleeve joint between the outer emitter and the inner emitter to form a liquid flow channel, and a liquid inlet channel is provided on the outer emitter, and the liquid inlet channel is connected to the liquid flow channel; The tip of the inner emitter is aligned with the injection gap, and a height difference is set between the tip of the inner emitter and the tip of the outer emitter to form a liquid storage tank, and the liquid storage tank is connected to the liquid flow channel.

2. The ionic liquid thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner emitter comprises a chassis and an inner pole arranged on the chassis, and the chassis is provided with a groove on the outer circumference of the inner pole; The outer emitter is embedded in the groove, and the inner peripheral wall of the outer emitter and the outer peripheral wall of the inner pole are separated from each other to form the liquid flow channel.

3. The ionic liquid thruster according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner pole comprises an inner pole section and an inner tip section connected to each other, and the inner pole section is connected to the chassis; The outer emitter comprises an outer pillar segment and an outer tip segment connected to each other; The outer column section is mounted in the groove, the outer column section is provided with the liquid inlet channel, the inner peripheral wall of the outer column section and the outer peripheral wall of the inner column section are separated from each other to form a liquid storage cavity, and the liquid storage cavity is respectively communicated with the liquid inlet channel and the liquid flow channel; The outer tip section and the inner tip section are separated from each other to form the liquid flow channel.

4. The ionic liquid thruster according to claim 3, characterized in that: A gasket is provided at the bottom of the groove, and the outer column section is supported on the gasket.

5. The ionic liquid thruster according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gasket is copper foil.

6. The ionic liquid thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the inner emitter and the injection gap is smaller than the distance between the outer emitter and the injection gap.

7. The ionic liquid thruster according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer emitter is provided with a plurality of buckles, and the plurality of buckles are connected and installed with the inner emitter.

Images