2016.B.3.2. Multiphysics Simulation of Flow Field inside A Solid Propellant Micro-thruster

Author(s)

Haixu Yu (1)
Shuzhou Fang (1)
Teng Li (1)
Hongpeng Ma (1)
Zhoubo Li (1)

Beijing Institute of Technology, China

Session

B.3

Keywords

solid propellant micro-thrusters, simulation, heat loss, slip wall, two-phase flow

Abstract

A solid propellant micro-thrusters array based on MEMS technology can provide microspacecraft thrust and impulse bits for stationkeeping, attitude control, resistance compensation and orbit adjustment. Key to develop the solid propellant micro-thrusters is generating extremely accurate thrust levels and impulse bits. Modeling and simulation can predict the propellant combustion and gas expansion processes inside the micro-thruster and then derive the performance. However, the numerical simulation study of solid propellant micro-thruster is still lack of the research on the transient working process. 2-D axisymmetric models of the propellant and flow field were established, using FLUENT software and the method of transient numerical simulation, the complete working process of a type of solid propellant micro-thruster is studied. Burning rate formula is used to simulate the regression of the burning surface. Factors such as wall heat loss, slip wall and two-phase flow, which appear very important for micro-thrusters, are highlighted in this paper, different operating conditions are also assessed. Parameters such as temperature, velocity, pressure and particle concentration as well as thrust and impulse bit are obtained to analyse the working process and performance of micro-thrusters. Then the influence of different factors is studied.