• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.43 no.12
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• pp.1071-1078
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• 2015

Numerical computations were performed to investigate the effects of pintle stroke, altitude, and bore on the performance of an external pintle thruster. Results show that under-expansion flow occurs always, independent of pintle stroke. An external pintle thruster shows good performance in that it is capable of good amount of thrust control, while aerodynamic loads are increased due to shock waves on the pintle support. When altitude is increased to 20 km, the nozzle exit velocity, Mach number, thrust as well as aerodynamic loads are increased. Bore increases aerodynamic load 5.9%, and therefore pintle shape without bore is preferred for lower aerodynamic load of a pintle in order to actuate the pintle.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.18-25
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• 2011

Solid propulsion systems have simple structures compared to other propulsion systems and are suitable for long-term storage. However the systems generally have limits on control of thrust levels. In this paper we suggest control algorithms for combustion chamber pressure of variable thrust solid propulsion systems using special nozzles such as pintle valve. For the pressure control within the chamber, we use a simple pressure change model by considering only mass conservation within the combustion chamber, design a classical algorithm and also a nonlinear controller using the feedback linearization technique. Also we derive the equation of the thrust for an under-expanded one-dimensional nozzle and then design a proportional-intergral controller after linearizing the thrust model for an operating point. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the controller through a numerical simulation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.104-112
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• 2003

This paper introduces a thruster attitude control system for the KSR-III and addresses system configuration, design condition for several components and development systems. These systems were confirmed through environmental tests, compatibility tests with other sub-systems and are planned to launch by this year. After the launch test, it can be redesigned for optimal systems using post-analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.992-997
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• 2010

The Propulsion Control Module(PCM) of Hall-thruster Propulsion System(HPS) for Science and Technology Satellite-3 (STSAT-3) has the flow control accuracy of less than ${\pm}$3% and the pressure control accuracy of less than ${\pm}$5%. The pressure controller adjusts pressure around the set point by using a Proportional Flow Control Valve (PFCV) and a high pressure transducer, while the flow controller regulates the flow rate using PFCV and the anode current telemetry of the Hall Thruster. The controllers are chosen as the Proportional and Integral(PI) type, and the PI gains are tuned based on the Matlab simulations. The result of the PCM test had the flow control accuracy of less than ${\pm}$1.87% and the pressure control accuracy of less than ${\pm}$5%. This paper describes the design, realization, and performance test results of the PCM.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.942-948
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• 2011

Solid propulsion systems have simple structures compared to other propulsion systems and are suitable for long-term storage. However the systems generally have limits on control of thrust levels. In this paper we introduce controllers for combustion chamber pressure using on-off control techniques which have been known for relatively easy implementation and energy efficiency. For this, we use a simple pressure change model by considering only mass conservation within the combustion chamber and we design a classical controllers and on-off controllers with are Pulse Width Modulation(PWM) and Pulse Width Pulse Frequency Modulation (PWPFM). Then we compare the performance results of the controllers through numerical simulations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Numerical computations are performed to investigate the effect of pintle stroke on the performance of an internal pintle thruster. Results show that the thrust control ratio was less than 2% and the aerodynamic load ratio was 22% as the pintle stroke increased. The flow past the nozzle throat rapidly expanding because of the shape of the pintle, and a shock wave was generated. Particularly, at the pintle stroke distance of 4 and 5 mm, the shock wave hit the wall of the nozzle, results in peeling bubbles. Depending on the altitude, the thrust increased and the aerodynamic load decreased, but the difference was as small as 1.5%. In the presence of the bore, the reduction of the pintle tip area resulted in a decrease in aerodynamic load.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.84-89
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• 2011

A Xenon Feed System (XFS) has been developed for hall-effect thruster to small satellite space-propulsion system applications. The XFS delivers low pressure gas to the Anode and Cathode of thruster head unit from a xenon storage tank. Accurate throttling of the propellant mass flow rate is independently required for each channel of the thruster head unit. The mass flow rate to each channel is controlled using the accumulator tank pressure regulation through a micron orifice and isolation valve. This paper discusses the Xenon Feed System design including the component selections, performance estimation and functional test.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.974-980
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• 2014

A power supply of cathode has been developed for hall-effect thruster for small satellite. A microwave cathode has been applied to the electric propulsion system and cathode power is necessary in oder to work securely. Anode current is varied by a flow rate controlled by anode tank pressure. Then cathode current has to be controled in proportion by anode current. So cathode power supply has been designed to offer a current proportional to anode current. Also cathode power has been tuned to work securely for cathode to emit more electron than anode within 0.03A. The function test of cathode power was performed by constructing an equivalent load for anode and cathode. It has been tested in a vacuum chamber in order to ensure a stable operation of the thruster. And it was confirmed that thruster normally has been operated in the space environment after the launch.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.60-71
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• 2022

The reusable, low-cost launch vehicle development trend in the recent launch vehicle market is being subdivided into several ways, and the throttleable engine is one of them. Plus, several nations have selected methane as a next-generation propellant due to its cleanness. In this research, a throttleable pintle injector using gas methane and liquid oxygen as propellants was developed, followed by its spray and combustion characteristics analysis, including high pressure cold and hot tests. The designed throttleable pintle injector has a double sleeve structure, and its tightness and functionality are confirmed through repetitive atmospheric, high-pressure cold tests, and hot tests. Though some design errors were discovered and a low throttling level was unable to be achieved in the combustion test.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.365-368
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• 2009

A new concept of a small thruster for altitude control of a micro/nano class satellite is developed, which utilizes the pulsed laser energy. As the laser-based thruster does not require burning of any fuel, it gives promise of small satellite design criteria, namely light weight and cost effectiveness. In this paper, we develop gel-type material for generating strong plasma plume for enhancing thrust for propulsion. Moreover, we quantify the level of thrust via the momentum coupling coefficient measured by the pendulum system. We discover that the driving force is significantly improved via the gel-typed propellant for laser ablation.