Electrical insulator assembly with oxygen permeation barrier

Patent · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:869208

Van Der Beck, Roland R ^[1]; Bond, James A ^[2]

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1. Lansdale, PA
2. Exton, PA

A high-voltage electrical insulator (21) for electrically insulating a thermoelectric module (17) in a spacecraft from a niobium-1% zirconium alloy wall (11) of a heat exchanger (13) filled with liquid lithium (16) while providing good thermal conductivity between the heat exchanger and the thermoelectric module. The insulator (21) has a single crystal alumina layer (SxAl.sub.2 O.sub.3, sapphire) with a niobium foil layer (32) bonded thereto on the surface of the alumina crystal (26) facing the heat exchanger wall (11), and a molybdenum layer (31) bonded to the niobium layer (32) to act as an oxygen permeation barrier to preclude the oxygen depleting effects of the lithium from causing undesirable niobium-aluminum intermetallic layers near the alumina-niobium interface.

• Research Organization: Martin Marietta Corp
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-86SF16006
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5298084
• OSTI ID: 869208
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

electrical
insulator
assembly
oxygen
permeation
barrier
high-voltage
21
electrically
insulating
thermoelectric
module
17
spacecraft
niobium-1
zirconium
alloy
wall
11
heat
exchanger
13
filled
liquid
lithium
16
providing
thermal
conductivity
single
crystal
alumina
layer
sxal
sapphire
niobium
foil
32
bonded
thereto
surface
26
facing
molybdenum
31
preclude
depleting
effects
causing
undesirable
niobium-aluminum
intermetallic
layers
near
alumina-niobium
interface
thermoelectric module
electrical insulator
voltage electrical
liquid lithium
zirconium alloy
electrically insulating
thermal conductivity
heat exchange
heat exchanger
single crystal
bonded thereto
alumina layer
metallic layers
permeation barrier
metallic layer
high-voltage electrical
foil layer
insulator assembly
voltage electric
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