SBIR Phase I: Magneto Hydro Dynamic (MHD) Generation for Spacecraft Power

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为航天器提供环境清洁的发电，比任何现有的替代方案具有更高的单位体积和重量的发电密度，具有高可靠性和几乎不会随着时间的推移而退化。这种发电将利用一种称为磁流体动力学（MHD）的过程——一种利用太阳产生的天然太阳等离子体提供电力的过程。这项技术将使航天器和卫星在更长的时间内更有效地运行，从而造福社会。MHD发电还具有环境效益，因为它不使用有害材料，减少了发射所需的燃料量，减少了二氧化碳的排放。该项目还将引入一种新型的高效便携离子漏斗，也可用于医疗离子光谱，从而降低该设备的成本并提高便携性。紧凑，高密度的电磁铁开发也可用于提高效率和功率能力，在许多工业和电力系统的应用。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目解决了为航天器提供发电的问题，该问题可以满足产生大量电力的需求，同时降低有效载荷发射质量要求。这项研究的目的是为了证明在太空中利用太阳风等离子体的可行性，以及确定磁流体动力学（MHD）发电的性能。基于多个空间探测器数据对太阳风等离子体条件进行建模，表明离子通量和等离子体电导率条件有利于支持MHD发电。这项研究将回答高能太阳风等离子体是否可以通过MHD发电收集并释放可用能量的问题。这项研究将包括设计和开发一个小型MHD发电机，并在模拟太阳风等离子体条件的真空等离子体室中测试一个原型。实验结果将用数值模拟进行模拟。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to provide electric power generation for spacecraft that is environmentally clean, has much higher power generation density per volume and weight than any existing alternative, has high reliability and nearly no degradation over time. This power generation will utilize a process called Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) - a process that uses natural solar plasma produced by the Sun to provide electrical power. This technology will benefit society by allowing spacecraft and satellites to function more efficiently for longer periods of time. MHD generation also provides environmental benefits since it utilizes no hazardous materials and reduces the amount of fuel needed for launch, reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This project will also introduce a new type of ion funnel that is highly efficient and portable that can also be used in medical ion spectroscopy, resulting in reduced costs for this equipment and improved portability. The compact, high-density electromagnets developed can also be used to improve efficiency and power capability in many industrial and power system applications. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the problem of providing electrical power generation for spacecraft that can meet the demands for producing large amounts of electrical power while reducing payload launch mass requirements. The objectives of this research are to prove the feasibility of utilizing the solar wind plasma in space as well as to determine the performance of Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) generation to produce electricity. Modeling solar wind plasma conditions based on data from various space probes indicates that conditions of ion flux and plasma conductivity are conducive to support MHD power generation. This research will answer the question of whether high-energy solar wind plasma can be harvested by MHD generation and unlock energy that is available. This research will involve design and development of a small MHD generator and testing a prototype in a vacuum plasma chamber that simulates solar wind plasma conditions. The experimental results will be modeled with numerical simulations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.