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

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是为航天器提供电力，这种发电环境清洁，单位体积和重量的发电密度比任何现有替代方案高得多，可靠性高且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，该过程利用太阳产生的天然太阳等离子体来提供电力。这项技术将使航天器和卫星能够更有效地运行更长的时间，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，并减少了发射所需的燃料量，从而减少了二氧化碳排放。该项目还将推出一种高效、便携的新型离子漏斗，也可用于医用离子光谱学，从而降低该设备的成本并提高便携性。开发的紧凑型高密度电磁体还可用于提高许多工业和电力系统应用的效率和功率能力。 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，该航天器可以满足产生大量电力的需求，同时减少有效载荷发射质量要求。这项研究的目的是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。 根据来自各种空间探测器的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的条件有利于支持 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 发电来收集并释放可用能量的问题。这项研究将涉及小型 MHD 发生器的设计和开发，并在模拟太阳风等离子体条件的真空等离子体室中测试原型。 实验结果将通过数值模拟进行建模。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力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.