Light Weight Radioisotopic Heater Unit (LWRHU) production for the Galileo Mission

Technical Report · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5267207· OSTI ID:5267207

Rinehart, G H

The Light Weight Radioisotopic Heater Unit (LWRHU) is a /sup 238/PuO/sub 2)minus/ fueled heat source designed to provide a thermal watt of power for space missions. The LWRHU will be used to maintain the temperature of various components on the spcaecraft at the required level. The heat source consists of a /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ fuel pellet, a Pt-30Rh capsule, a pyrolytic graphite insulator, and a woven graphite aeroshell assembly. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has fabricated 134 heater units which will be used on the Galileo Mission. This report summarizes the specifications, fabrication processes, and production data for the heat sources fabricated at LANL. 4 figs., 15 tabs

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5267207
• Report Number(s): LA-11166-MS; ON: DE88007756
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCES
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
SPACE VEHICLES
TESTING
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAT SOURCES
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
POWER SUPPLIES
RADIOISOTOPES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
VEHICLES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
070300* - Isotopic Power Supplies