Modular Stirling Radioisotope Generator
Modular Stirling Radioisotope Generator
复制标题
模块化斯特林放射性同位素发生器
DOI：
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发表时间：
2015
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Nicholas A. Schifer
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
P. Schmitz;L. Mason;Nicholas A. Schifer
高效率的放射性同位素发电机将在美国宇航局未来的空间探索任务中发挥重要作用。斯特林放射性同位素发生器（srg）已被确定为一种候选发生器技术，能够为任务设计人员提供高效、高比功率的发电机。与现有的放射性同位素热电发生器（rtg）相比，SRGs的高转换效率有可能延长有限的Pu-238供应。由于预算限制，先进斯特林放射性同位素发生器（ASRG）在2013年秋季被取消。在过去的一年里，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）和美国能源部（DOE）的一项名为“核电评估研究”（NPAS）的联合研究建议继续探索斯特林技术。在国家行动计划的任务研究期间，有时需要备用的srg来满足任务电源系统可靠性要求。这导致在某些基于srg的任务中征收额外的质量惩罚和增加的同位素消耗。在消除备用电力系统的尝试中，考虑了一种新的发电机结构，这种结构可以提高斯特林发电机的可靠性，并提供一个更容错的电力系统。这种名为模块化斯特林放射性同位素发生器（MSRG）的新型发生器采用多个并联斯特林转换器/控制器串，所有这些转换器/控制器串都共享通用热源（GPHS）模块的热量。对于该设计，分析了利用1至8个GPHS模块的发电机，分别为航天器提供约50至450 W的直流（DC）。四个斯特林转换器围绕每个GPHS模块排列，产生4至32个斯特林/控制器字符串。转换器可单独或成对平衡，并与GPHS模块辐射耦合。热量通过外壳/散热器排出，这与ASRG的结构相似。对这些系统的质量和功率分析表明，比功率可能略低于ASRG，与多任务放射性同位素热电发生器（MMRTG）相似。然而，与ASRG相比，可靠性应显著提高。
High-efficiency radioisotope power generators will play an important role in future NASA space exploration missions. Stirling Radioisotope Generators (SRGs) have been identified as a candidate generator technology capable of providing mission designers with an efficient, high-specific-power electrical generator. SRGs high conversion efficiency has the potential to extend the limited Pu-238 supply when compared with current Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). Due to budgetary constraints, the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) was canceled in the fall of 2013. Over the past year a joint study by NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) called the Nuclear Power Assessment Study (NPAS) recommended that Stirling technologies continue to be explored. During the mission studies of the NPAS, spare SRGs were sometimes required to meet mission power system reliability requirements. This led to an additional mass penalty and increased isotope consumption levied on certain SRG-based missions. In an attempt to remove the spare power system, a new generator architecture is considered, which could increase the reliability of a Stirling generator and provide a more fault-tolerant power system. This new generator called the Modular Stirling Radioisotope Generator (MSRG) employs multiple parallel Stirling convertor/controller strings, all of which share the heat from the General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules. For this design, generators utilizing one to eight GPHS modules were analyzed, which provided about 50 to 450 W of direct current (DC) to the spacecraft, respectively. Four Stirling convertors are arranged around each GPHS module resulting in from 4 to 32 Stirling/controller strings. The convertors are balanced either individually or in pairs, and are radiatively coupled to the GPHS modules. Heat is rejected through the housing/radiator, which is similar in construction to the ASRG. Mass and power analysis for these systems indicate that specific power may be slightly lower than the ASRG and similar to the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). However, the reliability should be significantly increased compared to ASRG.