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Title: Plasma chamber testing of APSA coupons for the SAMPIE flight experiment

Abstract

Among the solar cell technologies to be tested in space as part of the Solar Array Module Plasma Interactions Experiment (SAMPIE) will be the Advanced Photovoltaic Solar Array (APSA). Several prototype twelve cell coupons were built for NASA using different blanket materials and mounting techniques. The first conforms to the baseline design for APSA which calls for the cells to be mounted on a carbon loaded Kapton blanket to control charging in GEO. When deployed, this design has a flexible blanket supported around the edges. A second coupon was built with the cells mounted on Kapton-H, which was in turn cemented to a solid aluminum substrate. A final coupon was identical to the latter but used germanium coated Kapton to control atomic oxygen attack in LEO. Ground testing of these coupons in a plasma chamber showed considerable differences in plasma current collection. The Kapton-H coupon demonstrated current collection consistent with exposed interconnects and some degree of cell snapover. The other two coupons experienced anomalously large collection currents. This behavior is believed to be a consequence of enhanced plasma sheaths supported by the weakly conducting carbon and germanium used in these coupons. The results reported here are the first experimental evidencemore » that the use of such materials can result in power losses to high voltage space power systems.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
OSTI Identifier:
6362670
Report Number(s):
N-93-23742; NASA-TM-106084; E-7707; NAS-1.15:106084; AIAA-Paper-93-0568; CONF-930108-
CNN: RTOP 589-01-1B
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 31. American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics (AIAA) aerospace sciences meeting, Reno, NV (United States), 11-14 Jan 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; SOLAR CELL ARRAYS; PERFORMANCE TESTING; POWER LOSSES; ALUMINIUM; CARBON; DESIGN; GERMANIUM; OXYGEN; PLASMA; SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES; ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT; ELEMENTS; ENERGY LOSSES; EQUIPMENT; LOSSES; METALS; NONMETALS; POWER SUPPLIES; SOLAR EQUIPMENT; TESTING; 140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion

Citation Formats

Hillard, G B. Plasma chamber testing of APSA coupons for the SAMPIE flight experiment. United States: N. p., 1993. Web.
Hillard, G B. Plasma chamber testing of APSA coupons for the SAMPIE flight experiment. United States.
Hillard, G B. 1993. "Plasma chamber testing of APSA coupons for the SAMPIE flight experiment". United States.
@article{osti_6362670,
title = {Plasma chamber testing of APSA coupons for the SAMPIE flight experiment},
author = {Hillard, G B},
abstractNote = {Among the solar cell technologies to be tested in space as part of the Solar Array Module Plasma Interactions Experiment (SAMPIE) will be the Advanced Photovoltaic Solar Array (APSA). Several prototype twelve cell coupons were built for NASA using different blanket materials and mounting techniques. The first conforms to the baseline design for APSA which calls for the cells to be mounted on a carbon loaded Kapton blanket to control charging in GEO. When deployed, this design has a flexible blanket supported around the edges. A second coupon was built with the cells mounted on Kapton-H, which was in turn cemented to a solid aluminum substrate. A final coupon was identical to the latter but used germanium coated Kapton to control atomic oxygen attack in LEO. Ground testing of these coupons in a plasma chamber showed considerable differences in plasma current collection. The Kapton-H coupon demonstrated current collection consistent with exposed interconnects and some degree of cell snapover. The other two coupons experienced anomalously large collection currents. This behavior is believed to be a consequence of enhanced plasma sheaths supported by the weakly conducting carbon and germanium used in these coupons. The results reported here are the first experimental evidence that the use of such materials can result in power losses to high voltage space power systems.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6362670}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993}
}

Conference:
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