Multiphysics Simulation of a Novel Concept of MEMS-based Solid Propellant Thruster for Space Propulsion  

作　　者：José A.Moríigo José Hermida-Quesada 

机构地区：[1]Dept.of Space Programmes,National Institute for Aerospace Technology Ctra.Ajalvir km.4,Torrejón de Ardoz 28850 Madrid,Spain Propulsion Engineer,Ph.D. [2]Dept.of Aerodynamics and Propulsion,National Institute for Aerospace Technology Ctra.Ajalvir km.4,Torrejón de Ardoz 28850 Madrid,Spain

出　　处：《Journal of Thermal Science》2011年第6期527-533,共7页热科学学报（英文版）

基　　金：funded by the Spanish Ministry of Defence as part of the micropropulsion activities in the Small Satellites Programme

摘　　要：This work analyzes a novel MEMS-based architecture of submillimeter size thruster for the propulsion of small spacecrafts,addressing its preliminary characterization of performance.The architecture of microthruster comprises a setup of miniaturized channels surrounding the solid-propellant reservoir filled up with a high-energetic polymer.These channels guide the hot gases from the combustion region towards the nozzle entrance located at the opposite side of the thruster.Numerical simulations of the transient response of the combustion gases and wafer heating in thruster firings have been conducted with FLUENT under a multiphysics modelling that fully couples the gas and solid parts involved.The approach includes the gas-wafer and gas-polymer thermal exchange,burnback of the polymer with a simplified non-reacting gas pyrolysis model at its front,and a slip-model inside the nozzle portion to incorporate the effect of gas-surface and rarefaction onto the gas expansion.Besides,accurate characterization of thruster operation requires the inclusion of the receding front of the polymer and heat transfer in the moving gas-solid interfaces.The study stresses the improvement attained in thermal management by the inclusion of lateral micro-channels in the device.In particular,the temperature maps reveal the significant dependence of the thermal loss on the instantaneous surface of the reservoir wall exposed to the heat flux of hot gases.Specifically,the simulations stress the benefit of implementing such a pattern of micro-channels connecting the exit of the combustion reservoir with the nozzle.The results prove that hot gases flowing along the micro-channels exert a sealing action upon the heat flux at the reservoir wall and partly mitigate the overall thermal loss at the inner-wall vicinity during the burnback.The analysis shows that propellant decomposition rate is accelerated due to surface preheating and it suggests that a delay of the flame extinction into the reservoir is possible.The simulated operation of the thru

关 键 词：micronozzles spacecraft micropropulsion solid propellant thrusters 

分 类 号：V435[航空宇航科学与技术—航空宇航推进理论与工程]