Modeling of porous thermal throttle for zinc vapor flow control

• Small satellites and CubeSats are transforming space exploration by offering scalable solutions for diverse commercial and scientific tasks. • Using zinc as a dense propellant in a wave plasma thruster reduces overall system mass and eliminates the need for heavy high-pressure tanks and valves. • While zinc offers benefits, challenges include conductive film formation and precise temperature control, necessitating optimized system design. • The proposed zinc propellant storage and supply system includes three thermal throttles each having a unique role to regulate zinc vapor flow precisely. • Numerical modeling identifies the best configuration for zinc vapor flow control, achieving the required flow rates with minimal deviation. Due to the active development of dynamic space missions in the last decade and the ever-growing demand for them, the need of using highly efficient propulsion systems is becoming urgent. The dynamic missions include the in-orbit servicing, the space debris removal, and the station keeping of big artificial objects in deep space. For these activities the propellant density and capability of thrust vector control play a crucial role. In this context, propulsion systems with multiple thrust directions utilizing solid-state propellants are of particular importance. These propulsion system features increase the maneuverability and efficiency of the satellite, reduce the time to complete the task, and ensure cost-effectiveness during long-lasting missions. In this study, a zinc storage and supply system for the use in a propulsion system with thrust-vectoring capability is presented. Porous thermal throttles for zinc vapor flow control are modeled under several operating modes. These modeling allow to obtain the mass flow rates dependencies on saturated vapor pressure and temperature. The optimal configuration of the thermal throttles is proposed which ensures the specified flow rate and accuracy for keeping the initial rate setting.