VALVES

Flow Control Valves
1N Monopropellant
10N Bipropellant
200N Bipropellant
400N Bipropellant

Latch Valves
Low Flow
High Flow

Pyrotechnic Valves
Pyrotechnic Valves

Pressure Regulators
Pressure Regulators

FDV Valves
Fuel Fill Valve
Fuel Vent Valve
Oxidiser Fill Valve
Oxidiser Vent Valve
HP Helium Valve
HP Xenon Valve
2 FT Fluid Valve

Superfluid He Valve

Launch Vehicle
Cryogenic Valves

Valves for Spacecraft Propulsion Systems.

Fill and drain valves, pyrotechnic valves, pressure regulators, fuel fill valves, oxidiser fill valves, fuel vent valves, oxidiser vent valves and high pressure gas valves.

For almost 30 years, Astrium Lampoldshausen have been producing a range of propulsion system valves for propellants, gases and other fluids.

Typical off-the-shelf space qualified valves include fuel fill valves, oxidiser fill valves, fuel vent valves, oxidiser vent valves, high pressure gas valves, ground half couplings, pyrotechnic valves and pressure regulators.

In recent years, The Lampoldshausen Centre has concentrated its valve research and development efforts on exclusively European components to be able to comply with the requirements of their customers for ITAR free hardware.

Monopropellant Valve fitted to 1 N Thruster

1 N Valve for Monopropellant Thrusters
To meet our customer needs, the 1 N flow control valve has been designed to fulfil non-ITAR requirements.

The valve design incorporates all state of the art features, including:

Leakage redundancy by means of series redundant monostable valves.
Flexture guidance to avoid the creation of contaminant particles.
Short opening and response times for very small minimum impulse bits.

The non-ITAR 1 N flow control valve is produced in co-operation with AER of France.

Our non-ITAR monopropellant thrusters are in addition to our large range of monopropellant thrusters fitted with MOOG flow control valves.

10 N Bipropellant Valve

10 N Valve for Bipropellant Thrusters
To meet our customer needs, the 10 N flow control valve has been designed to fulfil non-ITAR requirements and has been qualified on valve level and thruster/valve combination.

The valve is of the dual coil, dual seat type and consists of two independent bipropellant units that are combined into one valve assembly comprising an upstream bi-stable latching valve and a downstream monostable solenoid valve.

The propellant part of the valve features an all welded titanium body with 40 micron inlet filter and Teflon seal / seat design.

The fuel and oxidiser flow is controlled simultaneously by one actuating device while the latching valve and the solenoid valve operate completely independent of each other. Moreover, the propellant and actuator parts of the valve are fully isolated from each other.

The valve is equipped with a micro switch for position indication. The first flight application of the non-ITAR 10 N Valve was on Apstar 6 (Spacebus), launched in April 2005.

200 N Bipropellant Valve

200 N Valve for Bipropellant Thrusters
The flow control valve of the 200 N thruster is identical to the 400 N flow control valve, but with minor modifications for compatibility with ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), thus:

Plunger stroke reduced by about 30 % to further improve the response times.
Coil resistance changed for adaptation to the ATV requirements.
Inlet flange fitting modified to fit to the ATV 220 N thruster design.
Inlet filter modified to reduce pressure drop.

The valve is a single seat solenoid operated design with isolated redundant coils. Closure and leak tightness is achieved by two S-type wafer springs, which provides flexible guidance and avoids the creation of particles due to valve cycling.

Protection against contamination is achieved by means of a conical 40 micron absolute filter.

Being inherited from the 400 N valve, the 200 N flow control valve also fulfils non-ITAR requirements

400 N Bipropellant Valve

400 N Valve for Bipropellant Thrusters
To meet our customer needs, the 400 N flow control valve has been designed to fulfil non-ITAR requirements.

The technical capabilities and characteristics of this valve enables it to be used on a range of bipropellant thrusters such as the 220 N thruster for ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle, the standard Astrium ST 400 N bipropellant apogee engine and with minor modifications on the new 500 N European Apogee Motor (EAM) .

The valve is a single seat solenoid operated design with isolated redundant coils. Closure and leak tightness is achieved by two S-type wafer springs, which provides flexible guidance and avoids the creation of particles due to valve cycling. Protection against contamination is achieved by means of a conical 40 micron absolute filter.

Our non-ITAR bipropellant thrusters are in addition to our large range of bipropellant thrusters and apogee engines fitted with MOOG flow control valves.

Low Flow Latch Valve

Low Flow Latch Valve
The Low Flow Latch Valve has been specially developed by Astrium Lamplodshausen for use in the bipropellant propulsion system of ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

The valve consists of two bodies from the high flow latch valve (shown below) each having an inlet tube, outlet tube and poppet as well as an electromagnetic actuator. The actuator acts simultaneously on the control levers of each body for valve opening or closing.

For position indication, a micro switch is incorporated to indicate the open or closed position.

For valve opening and closing, two coils are provided operating at a supply voltage between 22 and 36 VDC. In the event of a failure of one coil, the valve can be actuated by the remaining coil in reverse polarity.

High Flow Latch Valve

High Flow Latch Valve
The High Flow Latch Valve has been specially developed by Astrium Lamplodshausen for use in the bipropellant propulsion system of ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

Automated Transfer Vehicle

Due to its high flow rate, the valve is also ideally suited for launcher propulsion systems. The valve consists of a body with inlet tube, outlet tube and poppet as well as an electromagnetic actuator. For position indication, a micro switch is incorporated to indicate the open or closed position.

For valve opening and closing, two coils are provided operating at a supply voltage between 22 and 36 VDC. In the event of a failure of one coil, the valve can be actuated by the remaining coil in reverse polarity.

Astrium Lampoldshausen produces a wide range of Normally Open and Normally Closed pyrovalves for a variety of applications.

Main features:
Redundant ESA standard initiators
All welded Titanium design
Wide operational temperature range
Adaptable tube interfaces without impact on functional parts
Non-ITAR component

Pyrotechnic Valve

Characteristics Initiators Redundant ESA Standard Pyro Valve Enlarge for Description Design All-welded Titanium Fluid Compatibility Helium, Argon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen, MON, MMH, Hydrazine, Deionised Water, IPA Op Temperature -105°C ≤ T ≤ 100°C Response Time < 7ms Mass < 0.160 kg Proof pressure 1.5 MEOP 310 bar Burst pressure - Normally Open - Normally Closed > 1600 bar (pre-firing) > 1240 bar (post-firing) > 1600 bar (pre-firing) > 1240 bar (post-firing) Leakage - Normally Open - Normally Closed Internal leak after firing: < 1x10-6 scc/s (GHe) External leak before/after firing: < 1x10-6 scc/s (GHe) Internal leak before firing: < 1x10-6 scc/s (GHe) External leak before/after firing: < 1x10-6 scc/s (GHe) Sinusoidal Vibration Up to 60 g Random Vibration Up to 3 g²/Hz (34g RMS) Pyrotechnic Shock Up to 6200 g Non - ITAR Yes

Astrium Lampoldshausen produces a range of fill, drain and vent valves for all loading and venting functions and for of all kinds of propellants, pressurants and propellant vapours.

All valves in the range are space qualified and fulfil the requirements for three mechanical inhibits. The design also enables the valves to be used for test port functions.

Heritage
Since their original qualification in 1983, more than 1400 fill, drain and vent valves have been produced and delivered for a variety of spacecraft programmes including Eutelsat W3A, Amazonas, Inmarsat 4 F1, Anik F3, Skynet 5A, Skynet 5B, Amos 2, Astar, Star 1, Galaxy 17, Hispasat, MSG-4, Microsats, Herschel Planck, Pleiades, Spacebus, Eurostar communication satellites, Mars Express, Venus Express and ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle.

Fill and Drain Valve Design - Main Features
Excellent leak tightness and fail safe behaviour.
3 barrier sealing on Propellant type FDV's.
2 barrier sealing on Gas type FDV's
Seven different F/D types available (off-the-shelf hardware):
One type of Xenon FDV (high pressure)
Two types of liquid loading valve (low pressure).
Two types of venting and test valve (low pressure).
Two types of pressurant loading / venting valve (low / high pressure).
Different thread size of ground half coupling interface to avoid misconnection.
All-welded design (TiAl6V4).
¼ inch weldable tube interface.
Non-ITAR: Yes

Fill and Drain Valve - Propellant Type (Three Barrier Sealing)

Fill and Drain Valve - Gas Type (Two Barrier Sealing)

Ground Half Coupling - Main Features
For each F/D valve type there is a respective ground half coupling.
Safe and leak-tight connection between the propulsion system and ground support equipment.
Actuation of FDV is made by manually operated pin.
No generation of particles during opening and closing of the valve poppet.
Easy monitoring of valve status (red safety clamp can be inserted in the closed position of the valve).
GHC with bypass available for safe handling of toxic media.
High compatibility with media due to the materials selected.
Low pressure drop across the valve.

Ground Half Coupling Fuel Loading

Ground Half Coupling Fuel Loading with Bypass

Ground Half Coupling Gas Venting

Range of Valves

The current range of fill, drain and vent valves includes:

Fuel Fill Valve
Fuel Vent Valve
Oxidiser Fill Valve
Oxidiser Vent Valve
High Pressure Helium Valve
High Pressure Xenon Valve
2 Failure Tolerant Fluid Valve

For all of the above valves the corresponding ground half couplings are available for the specific loading, unloading and venting activities.

Astrium Lampoldshausen Centre also produces Superfluid Helium Valves, while Astrium Ottobrunn produces a range of Cryogenic Valves for launch vehicles and rocket engines, including a high pressure cryogenic valve for the new Vinci upper stage engine.

Contact for Further Information