Manufacture and test of a bi-modal solar power and propulsion receiver
This paper discusses the lessons learned during the fabrication and testing of a bi-modal solar power and propulsion receiver/engine. As part of the Air Force Phillips Laboratory's Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS) program, BWX Technologies designed, fabricated, and tested two solar thermal propulsion engines. Each engine consisted of a graphite cavity-receiver to collect and store the solar energy, an insulation package to minimize heat loss, flow passages to heat the hydrogen propellant, and thermionic converters to convert the heat into electricity once the propulsion phase of the mission is complete. Both engines were tested at temperatures up to 2350K through many thermal cycles. Many lessons were learned during the fabrication and testing of the initial unit. Manufacturing process changes were incorporated during the fabrication of the second unit, resulting in a final test article that met the program's propulsive performance goals. This paper presents the initial design and manufacturing process, the testing that was performed, and the modifications that were incorporated. Plans for future modifications and testing will also be discussed.
- Research Organization:
- BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, VA (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20000361
- 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
Power generation considerations in a solar biomodal receiver
Quantifying the heat switching capability of a thermionic diode