Claims
- 1. A method for storing and delivering a noble gas propellant in an ion propulsion system, comprising the steps of:(a) storing on an adsorbent in a storage vessel a noble gas propellant comprising at least one noble gas; (b) desorbing the noble gas propellant from the adsorbent by heating, thereby increasing a pressure within the storage vessel; (c) flowing the noble gas propellant from the storage vessel; (d) reducing the pressure of the noble gas propellant by a porous metal flow restrictor, and heating the porous metal flow restrictor to increase a control of a flow rate of the noble gas propellant; and (e) flowing the noble gas propellent to at least one of (i) a thruster assembly and (ii) a thruster and a neutralizing cathode.
- 2. The method of claim 1, in step (e), wherein the thruster assembly is comprised of a thruster and a neutralizing cathode.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one noble gas is xenon.
- 4. The method of claim 1, step (b) further comprising the heating effected by a controller in communication with (i) a heating device and (ii) a pressure sensor for the storage vessel.
- 5. The method of claim 4, in step (b) a power requirement of the heating device is less than about 51 Watts.
- 6. The method of claim 1, step (b) further comprising the heating effected by a controller in communication with (i) a heating device and (ii) a flow sensor.
- 7. The method of claim 1, in step (a) the adsorbent comprises activated carbon selected from the group consisting of powder, granules, pellets or monolith.
- 8. The method of claim 7, in step (a) the adsorbent is silver impregnated.
- 9. The method of claim 1, in step (a) the adsorbent comprises molecular sieve selected from the group consisting of powder, granules, pellets or monolith.
- 10. The method of claim 1, wherein a noble gas propellant flow rate is between about 0.5 and 6.0 mg/s.
- 11. The method of claim 1, step (b) further comprising heating the adsorbent with a heating device located within the storage vessel.
- 12. The method of claim 1, step (b) further comprising heating the adsorbent with a heating device located at least partially outside the storage vessel.
- 13. The method of claim 1, step (b) further comprising heating the adsorbent within the storage vessel using a heat source selected from the group consisting of a heat pipe, heat exchanger, a radioactive heat source, an electrical resistance element, and waste heat.
- 14. A method for storing and delivering a noble gas propellant in an ion propulsion system, comprising the steps of:(a) storing on a an activated carbon adsorbent in a storage vessel a noble gas propellant comprising at least one noble gas, the at least one noble gas including xenon; (b) desorbing the noble gas propellant from the adsorbent by heating, increasing a pressure within the storage vessel; (c) flowing the noble gas propellant from the storage vessel; (d) reducing the pressure of the noble gas propellant via a porous metal flow restrictor, and heating the porous metal flow restrictor to increase a flow rate of the noble gas propellant; and (e) flowing the noble gas propellent to at least one of a (i) thruster assembly and (ii) a thruster and a neutralizing cathode.
- 15. The method of claim 14, in step (e), wherein the thruster assembly is comprised of a thruster and a neutralizing cathode.
- 16. The method of claim 14, step (b) further comprising the heating effected by a controller in communication with (i) a heating device and (ii) a pressure sensor for the storage vessel.
- 17. The method of claim 14, step (b) further comprising the heating effected by a controller in communication with (i) a heating device and (ii) a flow sensor.
- 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the noble gas propellant flow rate is between about 0.5 and 6.0 mg/s.
- 19. The method of claim 14, step (b) further comprising heating the absorbent with a heating device located within a storage vessel.
- 20. The method of claim 14, step (b) further comprising heating the absorbent with a heating device located at least partially outside the storage vessel.
- 21. The method of claim 14, step (b) further comprising heating the absorbent within the storage vessel using a heat source selected from the group consisting of a heat pipe, heat exchanger, a radioactive heat source, an electrical resistance element, and waste heat.
- 22. The method of claim 14, step (a) further comprising the activated carbon in a form selected from the group consisting of powder, granules, pellets, and monolith.
- 23. The method of claim 14, step (a) further comprising the activated carbon is silver impregnated.
- 24. A noble gas storage and delivery system for ion propulsion, comprising:a storage vessel containing an adsorbent for adsorbing a noble gas propellant, wherein the noble gas propellant comprises at least one noble gas; an isolation valve and a pressure reduction device operatively associated with the storage vessel, wherein the pressure reduction device is a porous metal flow restrictor; at least one filter operatively connected between the storage vessel and the isolation valve; a heating device for heating the absorbent; a pressure sensor operatively associated with the storage vessel, for determining the pressure inside the storage vessel; a controller operatively associated with the heating device for adjusting a pressure in the storage vessel by controlling temperature within the storage vessel; a thruster assembly comprising a neutralizing cathode and a thruster; further comprising a restrictor heater connected to and for heating the pressure reduction device, wherein a noble gas propellant flow rate is increased; and wherein a fluid passageway is provided from the storage vessel to the thruster assembly.
- 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the thruster assembly is comprised of a thruster and a neutralizing cathode.
- 26. The system of claim 25, wherein in operation, the flowing noble gas is flowed to at least one of the thruster and the neutralizing cathode.
- 27. The system of claim 24, wherein the heating device is internal to the storage vessel.
- 28. The system of claim 24, wherein the heating device is external to the storage vessel.
- 29. The system of claim 24, wherein the heating device is selected from the group consisting of: a conductive heating device, a radiant heating device, a solar heating device, a radioisotope heating device, and a fluid heat exchange heating device.
- 30. The system of claim 24, wherein the heating device is a heat pipe.
- 31. The system of claim 24, wherein the heating device is connected to a power processing unit.
- 32. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage vessel is insulated.
- 33. The system of claim 32, wherein the storage vessel is insulated by one selected from the group consisting of: multilayer insulation, foam insulation, paint and radiation shielding material.
STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTION MADE UNDER FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of contract no. NAS3-97184 awarded by the NASA Lewis Research Center and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO).
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
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4-8873 |
Jan 1992 |
JP |
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JP |
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