DOE/JPL Advanced Thermionic Technology Program. Progress report No. 41

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5107554· OSTI ID:5107554

The primary long-term goal of the DOE effort is to improve TEC performance to the level that thermionic topping of fossil fuel steam powerplants becomes technically possible and economically attractive. An intermediate goal is to demonstrate an in-boiler thermionic module in the early 1980's. A short-term goal is the demonstration of the reliability of thermionic operation in a combustion environment. The focus of the JPL program is to develop thermionic conversion technology appropriate for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) missions. These missions require operation at collector temperatures substantially higher than those associated with terrestrial applications. The DOE and JPL tasks for developing thermionic energy conversion (TEC) are complementary and synergistic. Converter performance improvement is an area in which one agency's program supports the effort of the other. Progress in the DOE program is reported including: (1) demonstration of over 3600 hours of stable operation (Quarter Scale Silicon Carbide Converter No. 1) in a combustion environment at emitter temperatures at, or above, 1600/sup 0/K; (2) calculation of a complete current density-voltage characteristics in the power quadrant which includes both double valued sheath effects at the emitter and the spatial distribution of electron temperature in the interelectrode plasma; and (3) successful operation of Converter No. 222 with a cesium-graphite reservoir. JPL program accomplishments reported include: (1) performance data have been obtained on three planar variable spaced converters with molybdenum emitters (Converter Nos. 223, 227 and 228); and (2) system calculations indicate that long term thermionic performance demonstrated at Thermo Electron should yield a power system specific mass less than 22 kg/kWe.

• Research Organization: Thermo Electron Corp., Waltham, MA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76ET11292
• OSTI ID: 5107554
• Report Number(s): TE-4258/4247-126-80
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
THERMIONIC CONVERTERS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CESIUM
CURRENT DENSITY
DATA
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
GRAPHS
HEAT FLUX
NICKEL
OPTIMIZATION
PERFORMANCE
PLASMA SHEATH
PROPULSION REACTORS
SPACE CHARGE
THERMIONIC COLLECTORS
THERMIONIC EMITTERS
TOPPING CYCLES
TUNGSTEN
WORK FUNCTIONS
ALKALI METALS
DATA FORMS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELEMENTS
INFORMATION
METALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POWER PLANTS
REACTORS
REFRACTORY METALS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
300401* - Thermionic Converters- Design & Development
300402 - Thermionic Converters- Performance & Testing
300403 - Thermionic Converters- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries