Safran Aircraft Engines

Snecma

Stephan Zurbach

Frédéric Marchandise

Michael Oberg

Dominique Indersie

Vanessa Vial

Frederic Raphael Jean Marchandise

Vaitua Leroi

Julien Rabin

A flow rate regulator device is provided, including an upstream chamber, a downstream chamber, a plurality of electrically conductive capillary ducts providing parallel fluid flow connections between the upstream chamber and the downstream chamber, first and second electrical terminals configured to be connected to an electric current source, and at least one electric switch configured to connect one or more of the capillary ducts selectively between the electrical terminals. A system for feeding propellant gas to a space electric thruster is also provided, including at least one such flow rate regulator device to regulate a propellant gas flow rate. And, a flow rate regulation method is provided, using the flow rate regulator device.

Device and method for regulating flow rate

A Hall effect thruster arranged inside a wall and including a magnetic circuit and an electric circuit including an anode, a first cathode, and a voltage source. The magnetic circuit and the electric circuit are arranged in such a manner as to generate magnetic and electric fields around the wall. In every meridian section, the magnetic circuit presents an upstream magnetic pole and a downstream magnetic pole arranged at the surface of the wall and spaced apart from each other; and the anode and the first cathode are situated on either side of the upstream magnetic pole.

Hall effect thruster and a space vehicle including such a thruster

A Hall effect thruster includes at least one tank of gas under high pressure, a pressure regulator module, a gas flow rate control device, an ionization channel, a cathode placed in a vicinity of an outlet from the ionization channel, an anode associated with the ionization channel, an electrical power supply unit, an electric filter, coils for creating a magnetic field around the ionization channel, and an additional electrical power supply unit for applying a pulsating voltage between the anode and the cathode.

Hall-effect thruster

The invention relates to the field of Hall effect thrusters. The invention provides a Hall effect thruster having a discharge channel of annular shape extending along an axis, the discharge channel being defined by an outer wall of annular shape and an inner wall of annular shape situated inside the space defined by the outer wall, a cathode situated outside the discharge channel, and an injector system situated at the upstream end of the discharge channel and also forming an anode, the downstream end of the discharge channel being open, wherein the thruster includes a heat sink device comprising a heat sink in contact with the inner wall and of thermal conductivity that is greater than the thermal conductivity of the inner wall, the heat sink being a sleeve and the heat sink device being suitable for discharging heat from the inner wall to the outside of the thruster so as to reduce the temperature difference between the inner wall and the outer wall.

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Vernon, France

Stephan Zurbach