MECHANICAL PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS FOR XE AND KR WITH FLOW RATE UP TO 1 G/S - EXPRO+

Objective: To develop a Mechanical Pressure Regulator for Electric Propulsion systems, operating in Xe and Kr, with flow rate up to1 g/s, based on a fully European supply chain.Description: Mechanical pressure regulators are used in electric and cold gas thrusters' propulsion systems of all-electric platforms to lower and control the pressure of the propellant stored in the tanks (e.g. at 300 bar for Krypton and 150-186 bar for Xenon) down to the level required to operate the thrusters (e.g. 2-3 bar).As of today, COTSmechanical pressure regulators can only be procured from non-European sources subject to either export control regulations or geopolitical risks. This may limit the information available to the users and come with increased lead times if there are export or intellectual property restrictions on the dissemination of information relating to the regulator design and / or performances.The activity aims at developing a fully European mechanical pressure regulator for electric and cold gas thrusters propulsion systems. The regulator will be compatible with different media (e.g. as minimum with Xenon, Krypton, Argon) and will be capable to accurately regulate from very small flow rates used for Electric Propulsion thrusters to high flow rates used by Cold Gas Thrusters (few mg/s to 1g/s).This activity encompasses the following tasks:- Requirements Specification definition.- Preliminary design definition and justification.- Manufacture of breadboard(s), performance testing with helium, nitrogen, krypton, argon and xenon and accelerate life cycle testing to validate design choices.- Generate roadmap to complete qualification and achieve flight readiness status.