SP-100 Space Reactor Power System Readiness to Support Emerging Missions

Josloff, A. T.; Mondt, Jack F.

doi:10.1063/1.2950232

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…We have performed the first conceptual design integrating the TPV converter cells with a nuclear reactor in a module similar to the power conversion assembly (PCA) design developed for thermoelectrics during the SP-100 project. 4 The PCA acts as a heat exchanger between the hot coolant from the reactor and the cold coolant from the radiator with the TPV energy conversion device in the middle. Using packaging fractions for PCA components used with thermoelectrics, an estimate of the PCA mass and power using TPV cells described above has been made.…”

Section: Proposed Concepts For Space Nuclear Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They carried the study further by evaluating its application to nuclear reactors and comparing its estimated performance with thermoelectric and Brayton conversion at 20−50 kWe. We have performed the first conceptual design integrating the TPV converter cells with a nuclear reactor in a module similar to the power conversion assembly (PCA) design developed for thermoelectrics during the SP-100 project . The PCA acts as a compact heat exchanger between the hot coolant from the reactor and the cold coolant from the radiator with the TPV energy conversion device in the middle.…”

Section: Proposed Concepts For Space Nuclear Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion for Space

et al. 2008

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Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion cells have made steady and, over the years, considerable progress since first evaluated by Lockheed Martin for direct conversion using nuclear power sources in the mid 1980s. The design trades and evaluations for application to the early defensive missile satellites of the Strategic Defense Initiative found the cell technology to be immature with unacceptably low cell efficiencies comparable to thermoelectric of <10%. Rapid advances in the epitaxial growth technology for ternary compound semiconductors, novel double heterostructure junctions, innovative monolithic integrated cell architecture, and bandpass tandem filter have, in concert, significantly improved cell efficiencies to 25% with the promise of 35% using a solar cell like multijunction approach in the near future. Recent NASA sponsored design and feasibility testing programs have demonstrated the potential for 19% system efficiency for 100 We radioisotopic power sources at an integrated specific power of ∼14 We/kg. The current state of TPV cell technology however limits the operating temperature of the converter cells to <400 K due to radiator mass consideration. This limitation imposes no system mass penalty for the low power application for use with radioisotopes power sources because of the high specific power of the TPV cell converters. However, the application of TPV energy conversion for high power sources has been perceived as having a major impediment above 1 kWe due to the relative low waste heat rejection temperature. We explore this limitation and compare the integrated specific power of TPV converters with current and projected TPV cells with other advanced space power conversion technologies. We find that when the redundancy needed for extended space exploration missions is considered the TPV converters have a much higher range of applicability then previously understood. Furthermore, we believe that with relatively modest modifications of the current epitaxial growth in MOCVD an optimal cell architecture for elevated TPV operation can be found to out-perform the state-of-the-art TPV at an elevated temperature.

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Section: Proposed Concepts For Space Nuclear Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Proposed Concepts For Space Nuclear Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion for Space

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They carried the study further by evaluating its application to nuclear reactors and comparing its estimated performance with thermoelectric and Brayton conversion at 20 to 50 kWe. We have performed the first conceptual design integrating the TPV converter cells with a nuclear reactor in a module similar to the power conversion assembly (PCA) design developed for thermoelectrics during the SP-100 project (Josloff and Mondt, 1997). The PCA acts as a compact heat exchanger between the hot coolant from the reactor and the cold coolant from the radiator with the TPV energy conversion device in the middle.…”

Section: Proposed Concepts For Space Nuclear Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion for Space Applications

Teofilo¹,

Choong²,

Chen³

et al. 2006

AIP Conference Proceedings

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Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion cells have made steady and over the years considerable progress since first evaluated by Lockheed Martin for direct conversion using nuclear power sources in the mid 1980s. The design trades and evaluations for application to the early defensive missile satellites of the Strategic Defense Initiative found the cell technology to be immature with unacceptably low cell efficiencies comparable to thermoelectric of <10%. Rapid advances in the epitaxial growth technology for ternary compound semiconductors, novel double hetero-structure junctions, innovative monolithic integrated cell architecture, and bandpass tandem filter have, in concert, significantly improved cell efficiencies to 25% with the promise of 35% using solar cell like multi-junction approach in the near future. Recent NASA sponsored design and feasibility testing programs have demonstrated the potential for 19% system efficiency for 100 We radioisotopic power sources at an integrated specific power of ~14 We/kg. Current state of TPV cell technology however limits the operating temperature of the converter cells to < 400K due to radiator mass consideration. This limitation imposes no system mass penalty for the low power application for use with radioisotopes power sources because of the high specific power of the TPV cell converters. However, the application of TPV energy conversion for high power sources has been perceived as having a major impediment above 1 kWe due to the relative low waste heat rejection temperature. We explore this limitation and compare the integrated specific power of TPV converters with current and projected TPV cells with other advanced space power conversion technologies. We find that when the redundancy needed required for extended space exploration missions is considered, the TPV converters have a much higher range of applicability then previously understood. Furthermore, we believe that with a relatively modest modifications of the current epitaxial growth in MOCVD, an optimal cell architecture for elevated TPV operation can be found to out-perform the state-of-the-art TPV at an elevated temperature.

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