Under contract with the Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories, Hughes Aircraft Company recently completed an assessment of the present and projected capabilities of selected hydrogen-oxygen and hydrogen-halogen fuel cell and electrolyzer combinations for energy storage systems (ESS) in configurations useful for spacecraft missions operating in the 10- to 50-kW range for many years in mid-altitude to geosynchronous orbits. This investigation comprised four principal tasks: (1) a literature review and discussions with technology developers to evaluate state-of-the-art fuel cell and electrolyzer candiates, (2) examination of new ESS configurations not yet described in the literature, (3) generation of conceptual layouts of the six most promising candidate systems, and (4) selection of optimal ESS for two model spacecraft missions. Results of the study indicate that regenerative fuel cell ESS are feasible for the intended application. A computer model was used to provide trade-off analyses for optimizing the various ESS fuel cell concepts. When appropriately configured to be compatible with the mission needs of the selected model spacecraft, the specific energy for these ESS are intermediate between that presently available for nickel-hydrogen batteries and that expected for the newly emerging sodium-sulfur technology.
Regenerative fuel cell system for mid-to high-orbit satellites
Regenerative Brennstoffzellensysteme fuer Satelliten, die sich auf mittleren und hohen Umlaufbahnen bewegen
1987
6 Seiten, 5 Bilder, 2 Tabellen
Conference paper
English
Regenerative Fuel Cell Study for Satellites in GEO Orbit
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