US 12,345,245 B2
Thruster assembly
Pihla Pietikäinen, Espoo (FI); Jaakko Laitinen, Espoo (FI); Perttu Yli-Opas, Espoo (FI); Vili Vilenius, Espoo (FI); Roope Takala, Espoo (FI); Pyry Peitso, Espoo (FI); and Janne Sievinen, Espoo (FI)
Assigned to AURORA PROPULSION TECHNOLOGIES Oy, Espoo (FI)
Appl. No. 17/916,456
Filed by Aurora Propulsion Technologies Oy, Espoo (FI)
PCT Filed Apr. 1, 2021, PCT No. PCT/FI2021/050247
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 30, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/198570, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20205344 (FI), filed on Apr. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0037400 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. F16K 31/02 (2006.01); B64G 1/40 (2006.01); F02K 9/58 (2006.01); F03H 1/00 (2006.01); F03H 99/00 (2009.01); G05D 7/06 (2006.01); B64G 1/26 (2006.01)
CPC F03H 99/00 (2013.01) [B64G 1/401 (2013.01); B64G 1/402 (2013.01); F03H 1/0012 (2013.01); F16K 31/025 (2013.01); G05D 7/0635 (2013.01); B64G 1/26 (2013.01); F02K 9/58 (2013.01); F05D 2300/50212 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A thruster assembly, comprising:
a switch connected to a power source;
a thruster;
a propellant tank configured to store and pressurize a propellant; and
a propellant channel configured to guide the propellant to the thruster,
wherein the thruster comprises:
a space configured to receive the propellant from the propellant channel;
an electrically controlled heating element;
a thruster body having a first thermal expansion coefficient; and
a valve component having a second thermal expansion coefficient, which is different than the first thermal expansion coefficient, inside the thruster body,
wherein the thruster assembly further comprises a converging-diverging nozzle comprising a propelling nozzle bore, wherein the converging-diverging nozzle is manufactured at the same time as and formed as one integral part with the thruster body,
wherein the valve component comprises a sealing surface closing the converging-diverging nozzle in a first temperature, wherein a front end of the valve component further comprises channels for propellant flow and the sealing surface is located at an opposite end, and
wherein the electrically controlled heating element in response to actuation of the switch is configured to heat said thruster to a second temperature where the thermal expansion of the thruster opens the converging-diverging nozzle.