USOO7743601B2

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,743,601 B2

Calabro (45) Date of Patent: Jun. 29, 2010
(54) RESISTOJET 3,210,927 A * 10/1965 Brinich et al. ................ 60,266
4.322,946 A * 4, 1982 Murch et al. ...... ... 60,203.1
(75) Inventor: Max Calabro, Villennes sur Seine (FR) 4,577.461 A 3/1986 Cann ......................... 60,203.1
4,608,821. A * 9/1986 Zavesky et al. ............ 60,203.1
(73) Assignee: Astrium SAS, Paris (FR) 4,825,647 A 5/1989 Cann ......................... 60,203.1
4,907.407 A * 3/1990 Simon et al. ............... 60,203.1
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 4,995,231 A * 2/1991 Smith et al. ................ 60,203.1
patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5,076,051 A * 12/1991 Naff .......................... 60,203.1
5,947,421 A * 9/1999 Beattie et al. ............ 244/171.1
U.S.C. 154(b) by 720 days. 5,954.298 A 9, 1999 Basuthakur et al.
6,029.438 A 2/2000 Hosick ........................ 60,202
(21) Appl. No.: 11/575,982 6,205.378 B1* 3/2001 Rodden et al. ................ TO1/13
6.421,998 B1* 7/2002 Frye et al. .................. 60,203.1
(22) PCT Filed: Oct. 13, 2005 6,484.973 B1 * 1 1/2002 Scott ....................... 244f1725
2002/0170284 A1* 1 1/2002 Frye et al. ..................... 60.204
(86). PCT No.: PCT/FR2OOS/OSO848 2003/0098394 A1* 5/2003 Cooper ...... ... 244,166
2004/OO45276 A1* 3/2004 Frye et al. .................. 60,203.1
S371 (c)(1), 2004/O149861 A1 8, 2004 Stroblet al.
(2), (4) Date: Mar. 26, 2007 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
(87) PCT Pub. No.: WO2006/056710 DE 19729 471 1, 1999

PCT Pub. Date: Jun. 1, 2006 * cited by examiner

(65) Prior Publication Data Primary Examiner William H. Rodriguez
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Oblon, Spivak, McClelland,
US 2007/O295009 A1 Dec. 27, 2007 Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P.
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data (57) ABSTRACT
Oct. 15, 2004 (FR) ................................... O4 10916 The invention concerns an electrothermal thruster (1) com
(51) Int. Cl. prising aheating section (20) through which a propellant fluid
FO3H IMO (2006.01) (4) is intended to pass so that it is heated before it is exhausted,
(52) U.S. Cl. ..................................... 60/203.1; 60/200.1 the heating section (20) being Supplied by an electric power
Source (22). According to the invention, the electric power
(58) Field of Classification Search ................ 60/200.1, Source (22) comprises photovoltaic cells (24) mounted on the
6Of2O3.1
See application file for complete search history. heat exchanger (10) through which the propellant fluid (4) is
intended to pass before it reaches the heating section (20).
(56) References Cited
Application to the area of spacecraft propulsion.
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
3,152,774 A 10/1964 Wyatt 7 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet
U.S. Patent Jun. 29, 2010 US 7,743,601 B2
 US 7,743,601 B2
1. 2
RESISTOUET Therefore, in the light of the above, it can easily be under
stood that the global yield of the electrothermal thruster can
TECHNICAL AREA be substantially improved as compared with the yield of prior
art embodiments.
The present invention generally pertains to an electrother 5 Also, whether the thruster of the invention is of resistojet or
mal thruster comprising, in known manner an electrically arcjet type, the global yield obtained can be identical or
powered heating section intended to heat a propellant fluid in similar to that observed without this thrusters known in the
order to increase its exhaust velocity. prior art, without this thruster requiring a costly, complex
The invention finds particular application in the area of assembly of receiver-exchanger-accumulator type, whose
propulsion systems for spacecraft, Such as space transfer 10 technology is relatively ill-mastered.
modules, but is in no way limited to this application however. As mentioned above, to obtain electric power adapted to
the electricity needs of the heating section, it is preferable that
PRIOR ART the electric power source also comprises a Solar concentrator
of mirror type preferably being in the form of an inflatable
15 Structure.
As indicated above, known electrothermal thrusters (resis
tojet, arcjet) use electricity to heat a propellant fluid Such as Preferably, the photovoltaic cells are mounted on the outer
hydrogen, ammonia or any other Suitable fluid, to obtain a Surface of this heat exchanger, preferably by bonding.
heated compressed propellant fluid ensuring its increased Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will
exhaust Velocity. become apparent from the non-limiting description given
Electrothermal thrusters of resistojet and arcjet type are below.
known in the prior art, the former having a heating section BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
using a heating filament through which the propellant passes,
while the latter type is provided with a hearing section which
heats the propellant fluid by passing it through a current arc. 25
This description will be made with reference to the single
In both cases, the on-board Source of electric power Sup FIGURE showing a schematic side view of an electrothermal
plying the heating section is generally complex, usually thruster according to a preferred embodiment of the inven
tion.
responsible for a low global yield of the electrothermal
thruster assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED
30
EMBODIMENT
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is therefore to propose an With reference to the single FIGURE, an electrothermal
thruster 1 is schematically illustrated, according to a preferred
electrothermal thruster whose design provides it with an embodiment of the invention, this thruster 1 indifferently
improved global yield as compared with the yield of prior art 35
being of resistojet or arcjet type.
embodiments.
The thruster 1 firstly comprises a tank 2 of propellant fluid
For this purpose, the object of the invention is an electro or propergol 4, this propellant fluid being intended to pass
thermal thruster comprising a heating section Supplied with through the thruster assembly 1 in a main direction of flow of
an electric power Source, through which a propellant fluid is 40 the propellant fluid represented by arrow 6, until it is dis
intended to pass so that this propellant can be heated before charged from the exhaust nozzle 8 forming the downstream
being discharged. According to the inventions, this electric end of the thruster 1.
power source comprises photovoltaic cells mounted on a heat The tank 2 is connected downstream to a heat exchanger
exchanger through which the propellant fluid passes before it 10, and more precisely to an upstream collector 12 that is part
reaches the heating section. 45 thereof and intended to direct the propellant fluid 4 in the
Advantageously, in the electrothermal thruster of the direction of a central exchanger portion 14 of this exchanger
invention, the heat exchanger associated with the photovol 10. In this respect, it is to be noted that the heat exchanger 10
taic cells enables the heating of the cells to be contained, and can in fact be formed of two reverse exchangers in order to
hence ensures a satisfactory yield of these same photovoltaic achieve maximum homogenization of the temperature of the
cells by regenerating heat losses. Therefore, this possible 50 outer surface 16 of the central exchanger portion 14. This
extensive limiting of cell heating allows the use of Small central exchanger portion 14 is preferably made in a material
photovoltaic cell Surfaces on which Sun radiation can be con with variable Stitch spacing, whether or not including a layer
centrated, e.g. using mirrors, without however generating any of highly conductive material to homogenize the temperature
decrease in the yield of these cells. This can evidently be seen by the photovoltaic cells which, as will be described in
explained by the fact that solar cells output a current that is 55 more detail below, are mounted on the outer surface 16. By
proportional to input flow with no yield loss, and up to very way of illustrative example the central exchanger portion 14
high concentration rates for as long as their temperature is is fabricated in the manner described in document FR-A-2
maintained below a maximum service temperature. 836 690.
Additionally, the possible limiting of lowered cell yield This central exchanger portion 14 is connected to a down
also allows the optional use of photovoltaic cells of low-cost 60 stream collector 18 of the exchanger 10, this downstream
technology. collector 18 itself being connected to a hearing section 20 of
Also, since the propellant fluid circulating inside the heat the thruster whose design, well known to those skilled in the
exchange is the same as the propellant intended to pass art, is dependent on the type of thruster under consideration
through the heating section before being discharged from the (resistojet/arcet).
thruster, it can be understood that this same propellant fluid is 65 The propellant fluid 4. Such as hydrogen, ammonia or
therefore advantageously preheated by the exchange before other, therefore leaves the downstream collector 18 to enter
arriving in the heating section, also called a <chambers. into the heating section 20, before being removed from the
 US 7,743,601 B2
3 4
latter to arrive at the exhaust nozzle 8 from which it is dis Evidently, various modifications may be made by those
charged from the thruster 1 at a very high speed. skilled in the art to the electrothermal thruster 1just described
One of the particularities of the invention lies in the fact as a non-limiting example.
that an on-board electric power source Supplying the heating
section 20 comprises photovoltaic cells 24 mounted on the The invention claimed is:
outer surface 16 of the central exchanger portion 14 of the 1. An electrothermal thruster comprising:
exchanger 10. a heating section Supplied by an electric power source and
More precisely, the photovoltaic cells 24, called solarcells, through which a propellant fluid is intended to pass to be
are preferably arranged in a plurality of Solar panels 26 or heated before being exhausted,
panels of solar cells bonded onto this outer surface 16, this 10
wherein said electric power source comprises photovoltaic
latter Surface preferably being planar, or in any other form cells mounted on a heat exchanger through which said
which may be found in heat exchangers known to those propellant fluid is intended to pass before reaching said
skilled in the art. In this respect, it is specified that this heat heating section.
exchanger is designed to maintain the outer Surface 16 at a 2. An electrothermal thruster according to claim 1, wherein
uniform temperature and below the maximum service tem 15
said electric power source further comprises a Solar concen
perature of the cells 24. trator associated with said photovoltaic cells.
In association with the solar cells 24, the power source 22 3. An electrothermal thruster according to claim 2, wherein
also comprises a solar concentrator 28, preferably in the form said Solar concentrator associated with said photovoltaic cells
ofan inflatable structure with mirrors, optionally with Fresnel is an inflatable structure.
lenses. This type of solar concentrator 28, also known to those 4. An electrothermal thruster according to claim 1, wherein
skilled in the art, is therefore arranged so as to reflect the light said photovoltaic cells are mounted on an outer Surface of said
in the direction of the solar cells 24, and thereby to permit a heat exchanger.
significant increase in the Solar flow captured by these same
cells. 5. An electrothermal thruster according to claim 4, wherein
In this electrothermal thruster 1, it must therefore be under 25 said photovoltaic cells are mounted on the outer surface by
stood that the propellant fluid 4 circulating through the central bonding.
exchanger portion 14 of exchanger 10, ensures cooling of the 6. An electrothermal thruster according to claim 1, of resis
solar cells 24 whose electric output is therefore increased at a tojet type.
constant yield, while this same propellant fluid 4 is then able 7. An electrothermal thruster according to claim 1, of arcjet
to arrive at the input of the heating section 20 after it has 30 type.
already been preheated via the heat emitted by these solar
cells 24.