Radioisotope AMTEC power system designs for spacecraft applications

The authors describe and compare small (two-module) and larger (16-module) AMTEC (alkali metal thermal-to-electric converter) radioisotope powered systems and describe the computer model developed to predict their performance. The high efficiency and static conversion process combined with minimized parasitic losses and operating temperatures that allow the use of current materials while still maintaining a competitive radiator area are found to make AMTEC an excellent candidate for enhanced performance space power systems. AMTEC has the capability of reducing mission costs relative to other static conversion systems because of its high efficiency. AMTEC can also reduce cost relative to dynamic systems simply by being less massive (10 to 5000 W level), and its use eliminates the torque and vibration issues of dynamic systems     

Simulation and control of a 20-kHz spacecraft power system

A detailed computer representation of four Mapham inverters connected in a series-parallel arrangement has been implemented. System performance is illustrated by computer traces for the four Mapham inverters connected to a Litz cable with parallel resistance and DC receiver loads at the receiving end of the transmission cable. Methods of voltage control and load sharing between the inverters are demonstrated. The computer representation is used to design and demonstrate the advantages of a feedforward voltage-control strategy. It is shown that with a computer simulation of this type, the performance and control of spacecraft power systems can be investigated with relative ease and facility     

Loop gain of a spacecraft switched shunt power system

A novel approach of deriving the loop gain of a spacecraft switched shunt power system is presented. The system hardware elements contain both the analog and the digital components. Transfer functions of the analog circuits are easily identified employing the conventional approach. Gain function of the digital block is however conceived following a quite unconventional route. The digital gain is shown to include the effects of comparator thresholds, digital clock, shift register, sinusoidal amplitude, and ac frequency. The dependence of the digital gain on voltage thresholds, clocking period, and the integrational property of threshold comparator is expected. The dependence on sinusoidal amplitude contradicts the traditional concept of small signal analysis. The overall loop gain in the analytic form yields a computational result that matches the actual measurement very well. This fact proves, to some extent, the validity of the digital gain function and the basis of its derivation     

Thermodynamic cycles for spacecraft power plants

A problem of applying closed multiloop thermodynamic cycles with mixing of dissimilar working gases in spacecraft power plants has been considered. The advantage of these cycles that is due to reduction of a heat quantity being rejected into space has been shown for ecologically clean generation of electric energy in prolonged space flights.     

A new power collection architecture for future spacecraft

The generalized tree-like transmission line network system having n layers in total with m-to-1 branch connection at each joint (T-TLNS-n-m) is proposed to replace the traditional series-parallel combined dc networks to automatically accumulate identically distributed power cells into the large amount of useful power for the spacecrafts. The proposed system has the attractive features of simple structure, easy construction and maintenance, and low cost, because two kinds of parts, ac current sources and m-to-1 transmission line (TL) branch connection parts, are used in the whole system. A method of implementing ac current cells having high output impedance is proposed to improve the power collection efficiency of the whole network system. Simulated results show that that low-pass nominal /spl pi/- or T-circuit with high characteristic impedance, which is used for the voltage source to current source converter in the current cell, improves the efficiency of the voltage inverter, filters out the harmonics, and increases the output impedance of the whole current cell.     

Modeling and simulation of spacecraft power systems

Modeling of a complete spacecraft power processing system is presented, using the Boeing EASYS software. Component models are developed, and several system models including a solar array switching system, a partially shunted solar system, and cosmic background explorer (COBE) system are simulated. The modes of operation of the power system, such as shunt mode, battery-charge mode, and battery-discharge mode, are simulated for a complete orbit cycle     

浮空器太阳辐射模型研究

采用理论分析和试验测定相结合的办法,对浮空器太阳辐射进行了研究,建立太阳直射辐射模型、天空散射辐射模型和地面反射辐射模型,计算值与试验测定值吻合较好。     

Conception of spacecraft centralized power supply

A reliable power supply for spacecraft is one of the central problems determining the future development of space technology. The traditional solution to this problem implies having an autonomous power plant on board each spacecraft. The most widely used are power plants with solar cells. However, there exists an alternative power supply concept of using a centralized power supply system (CPSS) and power transmission to the user satellites by laser or microwave beams. Use of a CPSS has a number of advantages. In particular, it allows the spacecraft to increase power supply level and service life as well as to decrease the spacecraft mass and cost. However, it sets new physical and technical problems associated with long distance power transmission and requires some changes in spacecraft structure and concepts. The feasibility study of CPSS development and use has to rely on existing or firmly forecastable technologies. An attempt of such an analysis has been done by a group of scientists at Moscow State Aviation Institute during 1994-1996. The very first results have already been published. This paper discusses new results obtained lately regarding a space based CPSS     

Simulation of DC spacecraft power systems

A modular state-variable approach is presented for DC spacecraft power system modeling and simulation. Each modular component is treated as a multiport network, and a state model is written with the port voltages as the inputs. The state model of a component is solved independently of the other components, using its state transition matrix. The state variables of each component are updated, assuming that the inputs are constant. Network analysis principles are then utilized to calculate the component inputs     

Design and testing of spacecraft power systems using VTB

A study is presented on the design and testing of spacecraft power systems using the virtual test bed (VTB). The interdisciplinary components such as solar array and battery systems were first modeled in native VTB format and validated by experiment data. The shunt regulator and battery charge controller were designed in Simulink according to the system requirements and imported to VTB. Two spacecraft power systems were then designed and tested together with the control systems.     

航天器推进系统故障的面向时态检测和诊断

根据航天器推进系统的时变性特点，在规则的专家系统方法基础上，提出了推进系统面向时态的故障检测和诊断方法，在对知识表示方法和推理诊断策略进行改进后，在Windows NT环境与实现了一个基于知识的故障诊断原型系统，介绍了原型系统的结构、功能及网络实时数据通信方法，经过仿真数据测试验证了方法的有效性。     

The visible imaging system (VIS) for the polar spacecraft

The Visible Imaging System (VIS) is a set of three low-light-level cameras to be flown on the POLAR spacecraft of the Global Geospace Science (GGS) program which is an element of the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) campaign. Two of these cameras share primary and some secondary optics and are designed to provide images of the nighttime auroral oval at visible wavelengths. A third camera is used to monitor the directions of the fields-of-view of these sensitive auroral cameras with respect to sunlit Earth. The auroral emissions of interest include those from N ₂ ⁺ at 391.4 nm, Oi at 557.7 and 630.0 nm, Hi at 656.3 nm, and Oii at 732.0 nm. The two auroral cameras have different spatial resolutions. These resolutions are about 10 and 20 km from a spacecraft altitude of 8R _e . The time to acquire and telemeter a 256×256-pixel image is about 12 s. The primary scientific objectives of this imaging instrumentation, together with thein-situ observations from the ensemble of ISTP spacecraft, are (1) quantitative assessment of the dissipation of magnetospheric energy into the auroral ionosphere, (2) an instantaneous reference system for thein-situ measurements, (3) development of a substantial model for energy flow within the magnetosphere, (4) investigation of the topology of the magnetosphere, and (5) delineation of the responses of the magnetosphere to substorms and variable solar wind conditions.     

太阳辐射试验及其标准分析

阐述了人工太阳辐射试验的种类和特点 ,重点分析了日辐射强度及其谱能分布、试验温度、湿度等基本参数的确定依据和有关试验技术 ,对国外最新太阳辐射试验发展动向作了简要介绍 ,并提出了深入进行太阳辐射试验研究的方向。     

近地航天器量子导航定位卡尔曼滤波算法研究

针对近地航天器量子导航定位系统,为了进一步提高其定位精度,利用滤波技术将QPS测量值结合航天器的运动模型进行状态量的滤波估计.给出了基于基线干涉原理的量子定位系统观测方程和以二体运动为主的航天器轨道运动模型,在此基础上详细推导了扩展卡尔曼滤波处理过程,并针对该模型进行了仿真.仿真结果表明,基于EKF的量子导航定位精度有明显提高.     

某航天器输氢管道系统结构完整性评估

为保障某航天器在服役年限内不发生事故,针对航天器上采用插入焊接技术的精密管道系统进行结构完整性评估。在考虑到系统存在整圈的环形未焊透缺陷基础上,结合工程实践,假设在焊接区域存在更危险的平面缺陷。首先,开展高压气相热充氢试验下的标准拉伸和三点弯试验得到管道系统材料"J-75"在临氢环境下应力应变曲线和断裂韧性。其次,采用有限元程序计算系统在内压、惯性载荷与离面位移作用下的应力分布,考虑到间隙配合中的不确定性,改变模型中的最大间隙多次模拟计算,发现最大应力位置基本不变,以此区域作为假想缺陷的具体萌生区域。最后,采用失效评估图（FAD）方法对存在4种缺陷模式的系统分别进行结构完整性评估。通过引入安全裕度的概念,发现系统在含有初始尺寸（0.15 mm）的4种平面缺陷时,均处于安全状态,并且安全裕度都在2倍以上;通过工程临界分析（ECA）发现随着缺陷尺寸的增大,系统中含有缺陷2（位于管道焊接区域最大应力处的轴对称平面且沿焊深方向扩展的缺陷）时最为危险,且当缺陷深度超过0.61 mm时将断裂失效;考虑到测试数据的弥散性,针对系统最危险的模式,以安全裕度为可靠性指标,将失效评估图方法与可靠性评价相结合,得到系统在含有尺寸为0.15 mm的缺陷2情况下保有足够安全裕度的可靠性下限值超过0.999 5。     

航天控制力矩陀螺的润滑系统研究

为了提高航天器控制力矩陀螺的使用寿命,提出一种可按需喷油润滑的润滑系统.润滑系统由储油器和基于按需喷墨(DOD)打印技术的压电润滑装置组成.为了解决润滑油液滴喷射过程中在液气两相流体界间连续拓扑变化问题,采用流体体积算法中的分段线性界面构造技术分析两相界面间的运动.基于两相流体积算法,利用计算机仿真方法对润滑油液滴喷射...     

航天器推进系统水击及其抑制方法

针对航天器推进系统充填和关机过程水击这一动力学问题,基于已建立的航天器推进系统仿真模型,开展了某型推进系统的仿真研究,并重点分析了节流孔、弯管对推进剂供应管路水击的抑制作用.研究结果表明:①在推进系统充填和关机过程中,其不同位置均出现了明显的水击现象,充填过程水击频率较低,而关机过程水击频率较高,关机过程的水击峰值压力显著高于充填过程;②节流孔可显著削弱充填过程中的压力和流量振荡,关机过程的水击需要由较小的节流孔才能有效抑制;③弯管可明显削弱充填过程中的压力和流量振荡,对流量振荡的抑制效果尤为显著,但弯管对关机过程水击的抑制效果不明显.      

货运飞船智能温湿度测量系统构建和实验

根据货运飞船热平衡实验中对温湿度测量的需求,设计并搭建了一种以控制器局域网络(CAN)总线通信技术和智能温湿度传感器SHT15为核心的分布式测量系统,温湿度测量模块将采集到的温湿度数据通过CAN总线经分线器传递给下位机,进一步传输给上位机,实现了对数据的补偿、显示和保存等功能,给出了系统中软件的设计思路和流程图.并对该系统进行了真空贮存实验和标定实验,实验结果表明:该系统具有高可靠性和高测量精度,相对湿度的测量误差在2%以内,且使用方便,易于扩展节点,现已成功运用于实际的测量工作中.      

Review of Radiation Damage to Silicon Solar Cells

This paper reviews a large number of silicon solar cell irradiation experiments performed over the last 10 years, including 1-MeV and energy spectrum electron studies, and low-(100-keV) and high-energy (up to 155-MeV) proton studies on bare and covered silicon solar cells of several types. The results of satellite flight experiments on individual solar cells are also presented, as well as data from complete solar arrays and data on the new high-efficiency solar cells. Experimental evidence indicates that the percentage of degradation is smaller in thin solar cells than in thick ones, and that cells with high resistivity (10 ?·cm) degrade less than cells with lower resistivity (1 ?·cm). It is shown that high-efficiency silicon solar cells produced at COMSAT Laboratories and pilot production groups of these cells retain most of their increased power output under irradiation. It is emphasized that all surfaces and edges of the solar cells must be completely shielded from the large flux protons in the space environment. Insufficiencies in the published data are noted in certain areas, and recommendations for additional research are presented. Finally, an extensive bibliography is included.