Numerical Analysis and Experimental Verification of Flow Resistance Characteristics of Labyrinth Micro Flow Controller

In response to the demand for precise micro-flow control in the xenon feed unit of electric propulsion systems, this paper proposes a labyrinth micro-flow controller structure design. The flow resistance characteristics are analyzed through flow field simulation. Based on this, a mathematical model of the flow resistance characteristics of the labyrinth micro-flow controller is established using a flow resistance network method, and the flow resistance characteristics are numerically calculated and experimentally verified. The results show that the theoretical values of the flow resistance network model are in good agreement with the actual test results, with a maximum error of less than 4%. The flow resistance characteristics of this labyrinth micro-flow controller exhibit a linear relationship, achieving precise micro-flow output control in the range of 0.1~6mg/s, which can meet the task requirements of current mainstream electric propulsion systems. It is suitable for Hall electric propulsion systems and ion electric propulsion systems using xenon, krypton., and argon as propellants.