Design di un pannello criogenico per l'intercettazione di iodio all'interno di una camera a vuoto

The European research project BOOST, funded by the EU and coordinated by the Alma Propulsion Lab, plans to use iodine as a propellant for Hall effect thrusters or helicon plasma thrusters. Iodine can be stored in a solid form. This enables the creation of refillable tanks in orbit, with the aim of reducing space debris. The ground test of a thruster has to take place inside a vacuum chamber in order to simulate space environment, to ensure that test results and measurements are accurate, and for the proper functioning of the thruster itself. To maintain a low pressure within the chamber, iodine vapors in the plume must be condensed onto a cryogenic panel. This work focuses on the design of a cryogenic panel that uses high-performance conventional cooling systems instead of cryogenic gases to condense the iodine. Operating pressures and temperatures, as well as practical methods for using the cryopanel, dimensions and materials, are defined. The test has been evaluated through numerical simulations in MATLAB and transient heating and cooling management models in SIMULINK.