The Mars Development of a Micro-Isolation Valve

A feasibility investigation for a newly proposed microfabricated, normally-closed isolation valve was initiated. The micro-isolation valve is silicon based and relies on the principle of melting a silicon plug, opening an otherwise sealed flow passage. This valve may thus serve a similar role as a conventional pyrovalve and is intended for use in micropropulsion systems onboard future microspacecraft, having wet masses of no more than 10-20 kg, as well as in larger scale propulsion systems having only low flow rate requirements, such as ion propulsion or Hall thruster systems. Two key feasibility issues - melting of the plug and pressure handling capability - were addressed. Thermal finite element modeling showed that valves with plugs having widths between 10 and 50 gm have power requirements of only 10 . 30 Watts to open over a duration of 0.5 ms or less. Valve chips featuring 5 0 micron plugs were burst pressure tested and reached maximum pressure values o f 2900 psig (19.7 Mpa).