Microelectronic thermal valve
AssigneePurdue Research Foundation
InventorsAlina Alexeenko, Anthony George Cofer, Stephen Douglas Heister
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microfabricated valve with no moving parts. In one embodiment, the valve includes a reservoir of a liquid that is in fluid communication with an outlet channel having a throat that is less than 100 microns wide. Preferably, the channel is an elongated slit. The configuration of channel is adapted and configured such that surface tension of the liquid prevents flow out of the channel. A heater increases the temperature of the meniscus of the fluid, until a portion of the fluid is ejected from the channel. The ejection of the fluid creates both a thrusting effect and a cooling effect.
Claims40
A method for controlling the flow of a substance and applying a thrust to a spacecraft, comprising:
- closing a converging nozzle in a chamber containing a substance by the surface tension of the substance;
- conductively heating a portion of the substance within the converging nozzle by a resistive heater element and changing a physical property of the portion by said heating;
- flowing the heated portion through the converging nozzle;
- and
- applying a thrust to the chamber by said flowing.
A valve for controlling the flow of water and applying a thrust to a spacecraft, comprising:
- a chamber having an interior adapted and configured as a reservoir of water;
- a channel in the chamber, the channel having an inlet in fluid communication with the water and an exit in fluid communication with the ambient conditions of said chamber, the channel being adapted and configured to be blocked by the surface tension of the water;
- and
- a resistive heater located at the channel inlet;
- wherein application of heat from the resistive heater to the water changes a physical property of the water in the channel and permits an ejection of the water from the exit to ambient conditions.
A valve for controlling the flow of a substance and applying a thrust to a spacecraft, comprising:
- a chamber having an interior adapted and configured as a reservoir of a substance;
- a plurality of channels in the chamber, each channel having an inlet in fluid communication with the substance and an exit in fluid communication with the ambient conditions of said chamber, wherein the inlet of each channel converges in a direction and the exit of each channel diverges in the same direction, each channel being adapted and configured to be blocked by the surface tension of the substance, wherein said channels are arranged as a two dimensional array of nozzles;
- and
- a resistive heater located at each channel inlet;
- wherein application of heat from the resistive heater to the substance changes a physical property of the substance in the channel and permits an ejection of the substance from the exit to ambient conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.