Empirical correlations of the performance of vapor-anode PX-series AMTEC cells
Power systems based on AMTEC technology will be used for future NASA missions, including a Pluto-Express (PX) or Europa mission planned for approximately year 2004. AMTEC technology may also be used as an alternative to photovoltaic based power systems for future Air Force missions. An extensive development program of Alkali-Metal Thermal-to-Electric Conversion (AMTEC) technology has been underway at the Vehicle Technologies Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 1992. Under this program, numerical modeling and experimental investigations of the performance of the various multi-BASE tube, vapor-anode AMTEC cells have been and are being performed. Vacuum testing of AMTEC cells at AFRL determines the effects of changing the hot and cold end temperatures, T{sub hot} and T{sub cold}, and applied external load, R{sub ext}, on the cell electric power output, current-voltage characteristics, and conversion efficiency. Test results have traditionally been used to provide feedback to cell designers, and to validate numerical models. The current work utilizes the test data to develop empirical correlations for cell output performance under various working conditions. Because the empirical correlations are developed directly from the experimental data, uncertainties arising from material properties that must be used in numerical modeling can be avoided. Empirical correlations of recent vapor-anode PX-series AMTEC cells have been developed. Based on AMTEC theory and the experimental data, the cell output power (as well as voltage and current) was correlated as a function of three parameters (T{sub hot}, T{sub cold}, and R{sub ext}) for a given cell. Correlations were developed for different cells (PX-3C, PX-3A, PX-G3, and PX-5A), and were in good agreement with experimental data for these cells. Use of these correlations can greatly reduce the testing required to determine electrical performance of a given type of AMTEC cell over a wide range of operating conditions.
- Research Organization:
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20000347
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 33rd Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Colorado Springs, CO (US), 08/02/1998--08/06/1998; Other Information: 1 CD-ROM. Operating system required: Windows 3.x; Windows95/NT; Macintosh; UNIX. All systems need 2X CD-ROM drive., PBD: 1998; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 33. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, by Anghaie, S. [ed.], [2800] pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Development & experimental validation of a SINDA/FLUINT thermal/fluid/electrical model of a multi-tube AMTEC cell
An analysis of AMTEC, multi-cell ground-demo for the Pluto/Express mission