CN111878337A - Ion thruster - Google Patents
Ion thruster Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN111878337A CN111878337A CN202010639957.6A CN202010639957A CN111878337A CN 111878337 A CN111878337 A CN 111878337A CN 202010639957 A CN202010639957 A CN 202010639957A CN 111878337 A CN111878337 A CN 111878337A
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- grid
- ionization chamber
- ion
- acceleration grid
- spacecraft
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- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 111
- 230000001133 acceleration Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 59
- 230000003472 neutralizing effect Effects 0.000 description 11
- 230000007935 neutral effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000005684 electric field Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000003380 propellant Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006386 neutralization reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001681 protective effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
- F03H1/0037—Electrostatic ion thrusters
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
- F03H1/0006—Details applicable to different types of plasma thrusters
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
- F03H1/0006—Details applicable to different types of plasma thrusters
- F03H1/0025—Neutralisers, i.e. means for keeping electrical neutrality
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H—PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03H1/00—Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust
- F03H1/0037—Electrostatic ion thrusters
- F03H1/0043—Electrostatic ion thrusters characterised by the acceleration grid
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Plasma Technology (AREA)
Abstract
The invention discloses an ion thruster.A main cathode channel is arranged on a main cathode, an inlet channel is arranged on an ionization chamber, and propelling gas is injected into the ionization chamber through the main cathode channel and the inlet channel; the main cathode is used for emitting electrons to the ionization chamber to collide with the propelling gas to be ionized into positive ions and electrons, and the gas in the ionization chamber is in a plasma state; the acceleration grid comprises an electron acceleration grid and an ion acceleration grid, the ion acceleration grid is positioned in the center, and the electron acceleration grid is positioned on two sides; applying positive voltage to the electron accelerating grid to accelerate the electrons from the ionization chamber and emit the electrons from the screen grid and the holes of the electron accelerating grid; and applying a negative voltage on the ion acceleration grid, accelerating positive ions from the ionization chamber, and emitting the positive ions from the screen grid and the holes of the ion acceleration grid, so that when the positive ions are accelerated and emitted, a thrust opposite to the movement direction of the ions is generated to push the spacecraft to move in an accelerated manner. The size and the mass of the spacecraft are reduced, the launching cost is reduced, the effective load of the spacecraft is effectively improved, and the service efficiency of the spacecraft is improved.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of space thrusters, in particular to an ion thruster.
Background
An ion thruster, also called an ion engine, is one of space electric propulsion technologies, has the characteristics of high specific impulse, high efficiency and small thrust, and is widely used for space propulsion, such as spacecraft attitude adjustment control, position maintenance, orbital maneuver, interplanetary flight and the like. The principle of the device is that gaseous working media are ionized, positive ions are accelerated and sprayed out under the action of a strong electric field, and a satellite is pushed by a counterforce to perform attitude adjustment or orbit transfer tasks. Compared with the traditional chemical propeller, the ion propeller needs small working medium mass and is most suitable for long-distance sailing in the practical propulsion technology.
During the working process of the ion thruster, a reaction force is obtained by emitting ions with positive charges, so that the spacecraft is pushed to operate. Because the ions with positive charges repel each other, the ion emission shape is in a divergent state, the efficiency of the ion engine is reduced, electrons need to be added into the positive ions at this time, the repulsion force among the positive ions is counteracted, the electric neutrality of the ions is ensured, the emission shape of the positive ions is ensured, and the efficiency of the ion thruster is improved; meanwhile, as the spacecraft is in an isolated insulation state in the space, positive and negative charges on the surface of the spacecraft are unbalanced due to the emission of the positive charges, the negative charges are accumulated on the surface of the spacecraft, the more the negative charges are accumulated, the spacecraft is in a negative electric field state, and the positive ionic charges are influenced by the negative electric field and cannot be emitted normally. At this time, an electron emission source is needed to emit electrons on the surface of the spacecraft to neutralize positive ions, so that the spacecraft is in a positive and negative charge balance state, the propeller can continuously work, and the spacecraft can continuously run.
Because the ion thruster plays a role in pushing a positive ion source, the related electron source only plays an auxiliary role in neutralizing positive ions and balancing the electric neutrality of the spacecraft, and the electron source and the related components thereof reduce the electric performance of the ion thruster and reduce the effective load proportion of the spacecraft. If the neutralizing electron source can be cancelled, the performance of the ion thruster can be effectively improved, and the size and the mass of the spacecraft can be reduced and the launching cost can be reduced under the condition of the same effective load; or under the condition of the same emission volume and mass, the effective load of the spacecraft is effectively improved, and the service efficiency of the spacecraft is improved.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention aims to provide an ion thruster which is feasible in principle and simple in structure, reduces the volume and the mass of a spacecraft, reduces the launching cost, effectively improves the effective load of the spacecraft, and improves the use efficiency of the spacecraft.
In order to achieve the purpose, the invention provides an ion thruster, which comprises an ionization chamber, a main cathode arranged in front of the ionization chamber, a screen grid and an accelerating grid, wherein the screen grid and the accelerating grid are sequentially arranged behind the ionization chamber from front to back; a main cathode channel is formed on the main cathode, and an inlet channel is arranged on one side of the ionization chamber, which is positioned on the main cathode, so that the propulsion gas can be injected into the ionization chamber through the main cathode channel and the inlet channel; the main cathode is used for emitting electrons to the ionization chamber to collide with the propellant gas so that the propellant gas is ionized into positive ions and electrons, and the gas in the ionization chamber is in a plasma state; wherein,
the acceleration grid comprises an electron acceleration grid and an ion acceleration grid, the ion acceleration grid is positioned in the center, and the electron acceleration grid is positioned on two sides of the ion acceleration grid; at the moment, a positive voltage is applied to the electron acceleration grid, electrons are accelerated from the ionization chamber and are emitted from the screen grid and the holes of the electron acceleration grid; and applying a negative voltage on the ion acceleration grid, accelerating positive ions from the ionization chamber, and emitting the positive ions from the screen grid and the holes of the ion acceleration grid, so that when the positive ions are accelerated and emitted, a thrust opposite to the movement direction of the ions is generated to push the spacecraft to move in an accelerated manner.
Preferably, the shape of the ionization chamber, the shape of the screen, the number of shapes of the electron acceleration grids and the number of shapes of the ion acceleration grids can be changed according to actual needs; wherein the geometric structures of the electron acceleration grid and the ion acceleration grid have axial symmetry.
Preferably, the positive ions extracted by the ion accelerating grid control the thrust and specific impulse of the ion thruster.
Preferably, the electrons extracted by the electron acceleration grid are used for neutralizing extracted positive ions and balancing the electrical neutrality of the spacecraft surface.
According to the technical scheme, the accelerating grid is divided into two parts, wherein negative pulse voltage is applied to one part of the accelerating grid, positive ions are taken, and the part of the accelerating grid is called an ion accelerating grid; the other part is added with positive pulse to draw electrons, the grid of the other part is called an electron accelerating grid, and the electrons and ions are drawn from the same ionization chamber. By the balance of the positive ion flow and the electron flow, the plasma is guaranteed to be electrically neutral, and the spacecraft (space load) is guaranteed to be electrically neutral. Thus, the ion thruster can be used without an electronic neutralizer.
Because the ion thruster plays a role in pushing a positive ion source, the related electron source only plays an auxiliary role in neutralizing positive ions and balancing the electric neutrality of the spacecraft, and the electron source and the related components thereof reduce the electric performance of the ion thruster and reduce the effective load proportion of the spacecraft. If the neutralizing electron source can be cancelled, the performance of the ion thruster can be effectively improved, and the size and the mass of the spacecraft can be reduced and the launching cost can be reduced under the condition of the same effective load; or under the condition of the same emission volume and mass, the effective load of the spacecraft is effectively improved, and the service efficiency of the spacecraft is improved.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.
Drawings
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:
fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of an acceleration grid in a conventional ion thruster;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the construction of an ion thruster in accordance with the present invention;
fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electron acceleration grid and an ion acceleration grid in one embodiment of the present invention.
Description of the reference numerals
1-ionization chamber 2-main cathode
3-screen grid 4-accelerating grid
5-propellant gas 41-electron acceleration grid
42-ion acceleration grid
Detailed Description
The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the present invention, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.
In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the terms of orientation "inside, outside, front, rear, middle, two sides" and the like included in the terms only represent the orientation of the terms in a conventional use state or are colloquially known by those skilled in the art, and should not be construed as limiting the terms.
Referring to fig. 2, the invention provides an ion thruster, comprising an ionization chamber 1, a main cathode 2 arranged in front of the ionization chamber 1, a screen 3 and an accelerating grid 4 which are arranged behind the ionization chamber 1 from front to back in sequence; a main cathode channel is formed on the main cathode 2, and an inlet channel is arranged on one side of the ionization chamber 1, which is positioned on the main cathode 2, so that the propulsion gas 5 can be injected into the ionization chamber 1 through the main cathode channel and the inlet channel; the main cathode 2 is used for emitting electrons to the ionization chamber 1 to collide with the propelling gas 5 so that the propelling gas 5 is ionized into positive ions and electrons, and the gas in the ionization chamber 1 is in a plasma state; wherein,
as shown in fig. 1 and 3, the acceleration grid 4 includes an electron acceleration grid 41 and an ion acceleration grid 42, the ion acceleration grid 42 is located at the center, and the electron acceleration grid 41 is located at both sides of the ion acceleration grid 42; at this time, a positive voltage is applied to the electron acceleration grid 41, and electrons are accelerated from the ionization chamber 1 and emitted from the screen 3 and the holes of the electron acceleration grid 41; when a negative voltage is applied to the ion acceleration grid 42, positive ions are accelerated from the ionization chamber 1 and are emitted from the screen 3 and the holes of the ion acceleration grid 42, so that when the positive ions are emitted in an accelerated motion, a thrust opposite to the motion direction of the ions is generated to push the spacecraft to move in an accelerated motion.
In the present embodiment, in order to improve the flexible applicability of the ion thruster, it is preferable that the ionization chamber 1 shape, the screen 3 shape, the number of shapes of the electron acceleration grid 41, and the number of shapes of the ion acceleration grid 42 may be changed as needed; among them, the geometry of the electron acceleration grid 41 and the ion acceleration grid 42 has axial symmetry.
In the above process, the positive ions extracted by the ion acceleration grid 42 control the thrust and the specific impulse of the ion thruster.
And the electrons extracted by the electron acceleration grid 41 are used for neutralizing the extracted positive ions and balancing the electric neutrality of the spacecraft surface.
Because the ion thruster plays a role in pushing a positive ion source, the related electron source only plays an auxiliary role in neutralizing positive ions and balancing the electric neutrality of the spacecraft, and the electron source and the related components thereof reduce the electric performance of the ion thruster and reduce the effective load proportion of the spacecraft. If the neutralizing electron source can be cancelled, the performance of the ion thruster can be effectively improved.
According to the technical scheme, the accelerating grid is divided into two parts, wherein negative pulse voltage is applied to one part of the accelerating grid, positive ions are taken, and the part of the accelerating grid is called an ion accelerating grid; the other part is added with positive pulse to draw electrons, the grid of the other part is called an electron accelerating grid, and the electrons and ions are drawn from the same ionization chamber. By the balance of the positive ion flow and the electron flow, the plasma is guaranteed to be electrically neutral, and the spacecraft (space load) is guaranteed to be electrically neutral.
In addition, compared with the conventional ion thruster, the ion thruster does not need a neutralizing electron source, does not need gas matched with the neutralizing electron source and relevant components (such as a gas supply valve, a gas supply valve power supply, a gas flowmeter and the like), and further does not need a power supply matched with the neutralizing electron source, and the advantages are obvious.
Furthermore, as the neutralization electron source and the matched gas and power supply and the like are not arranged, compared with the conventional ion thruster, the volume and the mass of the spacecraft can be reduced and the emission cost is reduced under the condition of the same effective load; or under the condition of the same emission volume and mass, the effective load of the spacecraft is effectively improved, and the service efficiency of the spacecraft is improved.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, the present invention is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments, and various simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present invention within the technical idea of the present invention, and these simple modifications are within the protective scope of the present invention.
It should be noted that the various technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction, and the invention is not described in any way for the possible combinations in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.
In addition, any combination of the various embodiments of the present invention is also possible, and the same should be considered as the disclosure of the present invention as long as it does not depart from the spirit of the present invention.
Claims (4)
1. An ion thruster is characterized by comprising an ionization chamber (1), a main cathode (2) arranged in front of the ionization chamber (1), a screen grid (3) and an accelerating grid (4) which are sequentially arranged behind the ionization chamber (1) from front to back; a main cathode channel is formed on the main cathode (2), and an inlet channel is arranged on one side of the main cathode (2) on the ionization chamber (1) so that the propelling gas (5) can be injected into the ionization chamber (1) through the main cathode channel and the inlet channel; the main cathode (2) is used for emitting electrons to the ionization chamber (1) to collide with the propulsion gas (5) so that the propulsion gas (5) is ionized into positive ions and electrons, and the gas in the ionization chamber (1) is in a plasma state; wherein,
the acceleration grid (4) comprises an electron acceleration grid (41) and an ion acceleration grid (42), the ion acceleration grid (42) is positioned at the central position, and the electron acceleration grid (41) is positioned at two sides of the ion acceleration grid (42); at the moment, a positive voltage is applied to the electron acceleration grid (41), electrons are accelerated from the ionization chamber (1) and are emitted from the holes of the screen grid (3) and the electron acceleration grid (41); and a negative voltage is applied to the ion acceleration grid (42), positive ions are accelerated from the ionization chamber (1) and are emitted from the screen grid (3) and the holes of the ion acceleration grid (42), so that when the positive ions are emitted in an accelerated motion, a thrust opposite to the motion direction of the ions is generated to push the spacecraft to move in an accelerated motion.
2. The ion thruster of claim 1, characterized in that the ionization chamber (1) shape, the screen grid (3) shape, the number of electron acceleration grids (41) shapes and the number of ion acceleration grids (42) shapes can be varied according to the actual needs; wherein the geometry of the electron acceleration grid (41) and the ion acceleration grid (42) has axial symmetry.
3. The ion thruster of claim 2, wherein the positive ions extracted by the ion acceleration grid (42) control the thrust and specific impulse of the ion thruster.
4. Ion thruster according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrons extracted by the electron acceleration grid (41) are used to neutralize the extracted positive ions and to balance the electrical neutrality of the spacecraft surface.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202010639957.6A CN111878337A (en) | 2020-07-06 | 2020-07-06 | Ion thruster |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202010639957.6A CN111878337A (en) | 2020-07-06 | 2020-07-06 | Ion thruster |
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| Publication Number | Publication Date |
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| CN111878337A true CN111878337A (en) | 2020-11-03 |
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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| CN202010639957.6A Pending CN111878337A (en) | 2020-07-06 | 2020-07-06 | Ion thruster |
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Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0132065A2 (en) * | 1983-07-13 | 1985-01-23 | The Marconi Company Limited | Electric thruster for space propulsion |
| US20110232261A1 (en) * | 2008-11-28 | 2011-09-29 | Ecole Polytechnique | Electronegative plasma thruster with optimized injection |
| DE102013217059B3 (en) * | 2013-08-27 | 2014-11-20 | Pascal Koch | Electric engine and method of operation |
| CN108869222A (en) * | 2018-07-02 | 2018-11-23 | 哈尔滨工业大学 | A kind of radio frequency-ion thruster ignition initiation devices |
| CN109162882A (en) * | 2018-10-09 | 2019-01-08 | 西安交通大学 | A kind of ion thruster based on radio frequency automatic bias principle |
-
2020
- 2020-07-06 CN CN202010639957.6A patent/CN111878337A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0132065A2 (en) * | 1983-07-13 | 1985-01-23 | The Marconi Company Limited | Electric thruster for space propulsion |
| US20110232261A1 (en) * | 2008-11-28 | 2011-09-29 | Ecole Polytechnique | Electronegative plasma thruster with optimized injection |
| DE102013217059B3 (en) * | 2013-08-27 | 2014-11-20 | Pascal Koch | Electric engine and method of operation |
| CN108869222A (en) * | 2018-07-02 | 2018-11-23 | 哈尔滨工业大学 | A kind of radio frequency-ion thruster ignition initiation devices |
| CN109162882A (en) * | 2018-10-09 | 2019-01-08 | 西安交通大学 | A kind of ion thruster based on radio frequency automatic bias principle |
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