Experimental results of the investigation of a laboratory cold seal TEC

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:20000375

Yarygin, V I; Mironov, V S; Kiryushenko, A I; Mikheyev, A S; Tulin, S M; Meleta, Y A; Yarygin, D V; Wolff, L R

The results of experimental investigation of characteristics of a laboratory Cold Seal Thermionic Energy Converter (CS TEC) with a built-in gas regulated heat pipe are discussed. They were obtained to justify the electric-thermal-physical characteristics of a flame heated CS TEC. The CS TEC design is being developed by a joint Russian-Dutch team of researchers with support of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The concept of this flame heated Cold Seal TEC was presented in a previous publication. This paper deals with experimental data on the emission properties of electrodes and the voltage-current characteristics (JVC) of an electrically heated laboratory TEC. They were studied over a wide interval of variation in the electrode temperature and interelectrode distance. The cesium vapour working pressure in the interelectrode space was regulated both by the conventional method (using a cesium reservoir) and by means of a gas regulated cesium heat pipe. This allows one to use a rubber (viton) seal in the non-condensing gas (argon) area. The acquired experimental characteristics will allow one to identify the inner parameters at further stages of their work when testing the full-scale flame heated CS TEC.

• Research Organization: State Scientific Center of Russian Federation, Obninsk (RU)
• OSTI ID: 20000375
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
CESIUM
DESIGN
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRODES
HEAT PIPES
HEATING
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
SEALS
THERMIONIC CONVERTERS
VAPOR PRESSURE