Electric power for the Cassini space probe will be provided by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) thermally driven by General‐Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules. Each GPHS module contains four, 150‐g, pellets of 238PuO2, and each of the four pellets is encapsulated within a thin‐wall iridium‐alloy shell. Girth welding of these capsules will be performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This paper describes an automated system for welding GPHS capsules. Baseline design considerations of minimizing personnel radiation exposure, maximizing process yield, improving process consistency, and generating required quality assurance information, are discussed, and resolution strategies are described in the context of the final system design.


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    Title :

    Design of an automated system for girth welding general‐purpose heat source (GPHS) capsules


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    10th SymposiumùSpace Nuclear Power and Propulsion ; 1993 ; Albuquerque, NM, USA


    Published in:

    AIP Conference Proceedings ; 271 , 2 ; 1107-1125


    Publication date :

    1993-01-15


    Size :

    19 pages





    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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