The Institute for Advanced Technology is using a pair of physical scale model alternators as counter-rotating pulsed alternator simulators. These alternators have similar but not identical electrical characteristics. The original goal was to use these alternators to simulate a two-machine pulsed alternator system to study thyristor converter operation, with the two machines electrically connected at the output (dc side) of the thyristor (SCR) converter. Additional experiments were also run with the two alternators electrically connected at the input (ac side) of the thyristor converter. In the experiments, control algorithms were developed to test self-excitation and to discharge pulsed energy into various types of loads-resistive, inductive, and capacitive-to evaluate energy sharing from each alternator. Negative resistance circuits were implemented to adjust the field winding time constant of each alternator to achieve correct resistance/reactance ratio of full-scale pulsed alternators and to achieve equal energy discharge from each alternator.Index Terms-Alternator pair, alternator simulator, pulsed alternator, physical scale model, source simulator.
Several missions requiring electrical power in the 10 to 40 kW range have been identified as potential applications for a space reactor power system which uses the technology currently being developed under the SP-100 Ground Engineering System (GES) Program. The conceptual designs proposed for these low power applications build upon these key GES technologies, thereby maximizinjg the potential applicability of this development effort by fully utilizing the inherent scalability of the design implementations defined as elements of the 100 kW, Generic Flight System.Design and performance characteristics are provided for a specific point design with a 10 kW rated electrical output. While retaining the: major attributes of this design, the system power rating is scaled over the power range h m 10 to 40 kW, and important spacecraft integration parameters, such as total mass and radiator area, are presented as a function of allowable self-generated radiation dose at the payload interface plane and separation distance between this plane and the reactor core.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.