An AMTEC cell optimization study investigated various cell design performance tradeoffs for an AMTEC cell operating in a 4-GPHS (General Purpose Heat Source) ARPS using 16 AMTEC cells per system. The design objective was to generate 141 watts at beginning-of-mission (BOM), 112 watts at 6-year end-of-mission (EOM), and 99 watts at 14-year EOM from the 4-GPHS/16-cell system at a system voltage of 28 volts (cell voltage 3.5 volts). Cell performance predictions on a system-level compared the effect of BASE tube number, BASE tube sizing, electrode performance parameters, thermal shield design, and condenser emissivity on cell-level and system- level performance. The selected reference cell design is 2 inches diameter, 4 inches length using electrodes characterized by a B=120 A-K1/2/m2-Pa and G=10, one cylindrical and 21 conical thermal radiation shields, and eight BASE tubes having a 0.40 inch diameter and 1.0 inch active length. The reference design is projected to produce a system power output of 140-143 watts at 28 volts from the 4-GPHS, 16-cell system configuration. Cell power output at a cell voltage of 3.5 volts is projected to be 8.76 - 8.95 watts/cell. The cell is capable of producing a peak power of 9.0-9.25 watts at approximately 4.0 volts per cell, so the power penalty at 3.5 volts is minimal. Equally important, the maximum BASE tube temperatures are projected to be about 818-821°C, well below the 850°C maximum specification, and evaporator temperatures are predicted to be 788-790°C for electrodes characterized by B=120 A-K1/2/m2-Pa and G=10. These relatively low temperatures will greatly alleviate material compatibility and material degradation issues within cell components.
AMTEC Cell Optimization for Advanced Radioisotope Power System (ARPS) Design
Sae Technical Papers
34th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference ; 1999
1999-08-02
Conference paper
English
AMTEC cell optimization for advanced radioisotope power system ( ARPS ) design
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