Abstract
A method of thermal analysis for a solar thermal thruster was created to aid in the thermal design of the thruster. The method consists of two types of thermal analysis: an analysis program for propellant flow, and an analysis of the temperature distribution of the thruster wall using Pro/Engineer. The numerical results were compared with experimental results to confirm the validity of the method, and there was good agreement between them. A thermal design was created using this thermal analysis method to estimate the performance of a solar thermal thruster for the orbital transfer of piggyback satellites mounted on an H2A rocket. When the thruster is made from heat-resistant steel and the propellant is water, the analytical results showed that the Isp is 203 s, the thrust is 16.6 mN, and the maximum temperature of the thruster is 1088 K. The diameter of the concentrator also was calculated, and it was found to be small enough for the concentrator to be mounted on piggyback satellites.
