Coupled thermal, electrical, and fluid flow analyses of AMTEC converters, with illustrative application to OSC`s cell design

Book · Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:347729

Schock, A; Noravian, H; Or, C ^[1]

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1. Orbital Sciences Corp., Germantown, MD (United States)

This paper presents the background and introduction to the OSC AMTEC (Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electrical Conversion) studies, which were conducted for the Department of energy (DOE) and NASA`s jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). After describing the basic principle of AMTEC, the paper describes and explains the operation of multi-tube vapor/vapor cells, which have been under development by AMPS (Advance Modular Power Systems, Inc.) for the Air Force Phillips Laboratory (AFPL) and JPL for possible application to the Europa Orbiter, Pluto Express, and other space missions. It then describes a novel OSC-generated methodology for analyzing the performance of such cells. This methodology consists of an iterative procedure for the coupled solution of the interdependent thermal, electrical, and fluid flow differential and integral equations governing the performance of AMTEC cells and generators, taking proper account of the non-linear axial variations of temperature, pressure, open-circuit voltage, inter-electrode voltages, current density, axial current, sodium mass flow rate, and power density. The paper illustrates that analytical procedure by applying it to OSC`s latest cell design and by presenting detailed analytical results for that design. The OSC-developed analytic methodology constitutes a unique and powerful tool for accurate parametric analyses and design optimizations of the multi-tube AMTEC cells and of radioisotope power systems. This is illustrated in two companion papers in these proceedings. The first of those papers applies the OSC-derived program to determine the effect of various design parameters on the performance of single AMTEC cells with adiabatic side walls, culminating in an OSC-recommended revised cell design. And the second describes a number of OSC-generated AMTEC generator designs consisting of 2 and 3 GPHS heat source modules, 16 multi-tube converter cells, and a hybrid insulation design, and presents the results of applying the above analysis program to determine the applicability of those generators to possible future missions under consideration by NASA.

• OSTI ID: 347729
• Report Number(s): CONF-970701-; TRN: 99:006218
• Resource Relation: Conference: 32. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, Honolulu, HI (United States), 27 Jul - 2 Aug 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the thirty-second intersociety energy conversion engineering conference. Volume 2: Electrochemical technologies, conversion technologies and thermal management; PB: 790 p.
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCE TECHNOLOGY
THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
PERFORMANCE
THERMAL ANALYSIS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
FLUID FLOW
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
DESIGN
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCES
THEORETICAL DATA
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems