Stirling Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are under development to provide power on future space science missions where robotic spacecraft will orbit, flyby, land or rove using less than a quarter of the plutonium the currently available RPS uses to produce about the same power. Glenn Research Center's (GRC's) newly formulated Stirling Cycle Technology Development Project (SCTDP) continues development of Stirling-based systems and subsystems, which include a flight-like generator and related housing assembly, controller, and convertors. The project also develops less mature technologies under Stirling Technology Research, with a focus on demonstration in representative environments to increase the technology readiness level (TRL). Matured technologies are evaluated for selection in future generator designs. Stirling Technology Research tasks focus on a wide variety of objectives, including increasing temperature capability to enable new environments, reducing generator mass and/or size, improving reliability or system fault tolerance, and developing alternative designs. The task objectives and status are summarized.
Overview of Stirling Technology Research at NASA Glenn Research Center
2015
9 pages
Report
No indication
English
Space Technology , Stirling cycle , Technology assessment , Radioisotope heat sources , Nuclear reactor control , Nuclear electric power generation , Heat transfer , Heat pipes , Conductive heat transfer , Thermal insulation , Multilayer insulation , Robotics , Plutonium , Fault tolerance , Reliability , Vibration tests , High temperature tests , Spacecraft power supplies , Nasa space programs
Overview of Stirling Technology Research at NASA Glenn Research Center (AIAA 2015-3905)
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