Gas propulsion correcting unit for nanosatellites

Aeronautical and Space-Rocket Engineering

Thermal engines, electric propulsion and power plants for flying vehicles


DOI: 10.34759/vst-2021-2-152-165

Аuthors

Prokhorenko I. S.*, Katashov A. V.*, Katashova M. I.**

Experimental Design Bureau “Fakel”, 181, Moskovsky av, Kaliningrad, 236001, Russia

*e-mail: info@fakel-russia.com
**e-mail: katashova@fakel-russia.com

Abstract

The article presents the results of the compact propulsion unit developing for correcting nanosatellites of the CubeSat format based on a low-thrust gas thruster with the weight of no more than 2 kg, the overall size of no more than 1,5U, and peak energy consumption of no more than 10 W. The correcting gas propulsion unit is accomplished in the form of a monoblock. The unit has diminished size and ensures herewith the total thrust impulse of no less than 65 N·s due to application of the compressed Nitrogen with the pressure 35.3–39.2 MPa (360–400 kgf/cm2), with the initial weight of 0.09 kg as a working medium, and composite tanks for its storage with total volume of 0.25 liters. With the satellite weight of about 5 kg the characteristic velocity changing will be 12.5 m/s. In the course of the work, the experimental studies of the unit’s constituent parts, namely newly developed low-thrust engine of the electrical storage type, consisting of the chamber with the gas-dynamic nozzle and a small-size low-pressure control valve, start valve and a high-pressure control valve. The thrust of the developed engine is a function of the working gas pressure at the engine inlet. It changes from 0.196 N (20.0 gf) at the pressure of 578.5 kPa (5.9 kgf/cm2) to 0.098 N (10 gf) at the pressure of 313.7 kPa; the thrust specific impulse in the continuous mode is of no less than 687 m/s (70 s) at the working gas temperature of 20°C. Instead of pyro valve A newly developed start valve with shut-off element from the shape memory effect material, which energy consumption is of no more than 5 W was applied in the unit instead of the pyro valve. To adjust the working media in the receiver, the control valve with flow limiter, which limits consumption at working pressures from 14.7 to 39.2 MPa (from 150 to 400 kgs/cm2) is applied. It allowed reducing the valve energy consumption by 3.1 W, and decreasing the unit peak energy consumption by 26%. Instead of large-size filling necks, a filling unit with the weight of no more than 48 g was developed.

Its main elements are a closure (metal-to-metal seal), a check ensuring safe operation of the device when propellant is being filled and vented, and a plug, which guarantees the the device tightness during operation phase after its tightening to the nominal torque at production phase. As the result of the presented work, a practical prototype of a small-sized gas propulsion system on compressed nitrogen was developed and designed to generate impulses to transfer a nanosatellite from the launching orbit to the target orbit, to maintain the required orbit during a specified nanosatellite lifetime and its exit from orbit.

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