TapTechNews May 29th, according to the news from the 801st Research Institute (Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion) of the Sixth Research Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Group. Recently, the lightweight and fast-response cryogenic valve developed by the institute has successfully passed the thermal test run assessment of the 300N liquid oxygen methane attitude control engine on the cryogenic ground test bench, marking the success of the development of the first domestic lightweight and fast-response cryogenic solenoid valve.
In 2017, based on the liquid oxygen methane propulsion system demonstration and verification platform, our research and development team started the research and development of cryogenic solenoid valves. In November 2022, under the traction of the recoverable launch vehicle model, the research and development of the 300N liquid oxygen methane attitude control engine solenoid valve engineering product was launched. As the working medium of this valve is an ultra-low-temperature medium and needs to meet the lightweight requirement, how to ensure the response stability and sealing reliability at normal temperature and low temperature has become the key difficulty in the research and development work.
The research and development team comprehensively compared more than ten schemes and iterated repeatedly. By adopting methods such as air gap insulation, increasing air thermal resistance, and reducing heat transfer paths, it ensures that the valve coil is less affected by the cryogenic propellant during the filling and pre-cooling process, so as to achieve response stability at normal temperature and low temperature. The working temperature of the valve coil is designed at -60 to -40 degrees Celsius. In order to ensure the sealing reliability at normal temperature and low temperature, the research and development team also started the research from the selection of sealing materials, the design of sealing structure, and the low-temperature treatment of materials. The valve seat adopts a slope structure to ensure a high sealing specific pressure in the cryogenic environment and reliable sealing at normal temperature. In addition, through the optimization of the magnetic circuit, the research and development team improved the response speed of the solenoid valve, enabling the valve to complete the on-off action in a short time.
At present, the new fast-response cryogenic valve has passed the single-machine appraisal test assessment, successfully passed the 20,000 times of liquid nitrogen life assessment, and completed three engine scheme thermal tests, achieving stable response performance and reliable sealing at normal temperature and low temperature, and its response speed and low-temperature adaptability have reached the domestic advanced level.
According to the introduction, as the first domestic lightweight and fast-response cryogenic solenoid valve product, its successful development has greatly improved the efficiency and accuracy of the liquid oxygen methane attitude control engine, and also provided a solid technical foundation for the subsequent engineering research and development of cryogenic space propulsion technology.
TapTechNews note: The Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion is the only aerospace high-tech professional research institute in China that specializes in the research and development of space propulsion systems and medium and small thrust attitude and orbit control liquid rocket engines. Its products involve fields such as launch vehicles, satellites, manned spaceflight, missile weapons, and deep space exploration. It has participated in the research and development of the Shenzhou spacecraft, the Chang'e satellite, and the Tiangong spacecraft.
The institute also studied China's first nested Hall thruster, which is also the first 50-kilowatt-class double-ring nested Hall thruster in China. The successful ignition and operation of it mark that China has become the third country in the world to achieve a breakthrough in nested Hall electric propulsion technology.