Thermionic energy conversion with a preferentially oriented tungsten emitter. [Nb; W]

Conference · Sat Jan 05 04:00:00 EST 1991 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.40089· OSTI ID:5484685

Tsao, B; Ramalingam, M L ^[1]; Donovan, B D; Cloyd, J S ^[2]

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1. Universal Energy Systems, Inc. 4401 Dayton-Xenia Road Dayton, OH (USA)
2. Aerospace Power Division WRDC/POOC, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (USA)

A Thermionic converter with a W(110) emitter was tested with updated instrumentation. The purpose was to verify and establish that the present setup was suitable for testing state of the art converters such as the advanced thermionic initiative converter in the near future. The experimental results were characterized and compared to computer simulations generated with a one dimensional computer code. Thermionic converter applications require an emitter that produces large current density and a collector that yields a high output voltage. Practical converters should be easy to fabricate from readily available materials and provide long service lives. In order to develop such a converter, programs to screen and test the numerous promising electrode combinations are absolutely necessary. The evaluation of rare and expensive thermionic materials became feasible with the introduction of this device because of the small size of its electrode. The present result showed that the maximum power output from the preferentially oriented W(110) diminode was 9.0 watts/cm{sup 2}.

• OSTI ID: 5484685
• Report Number(s): CONF-910116--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States) Journal Volume: 217:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300402 -- Thermionic Converters-- Performance & Testing
300403* -- Thermionic Converters-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
METALS
MOBILE REACTORS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
NIOBIUM
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
REACTORS
SIMULATION
SPACE POWER REACTORS
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
SPACE VEHICLES
TESTING
THERMIONIC CONVERTERS
THERMIONIC EMITTERS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TUNGSTEN
VEHICLES
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE