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Cryogenic reactant storage for lunar base regenerative fuel cellsThere are major advantages to be gained by integrating a cryogenic reactant storage system with a hydrogen-oxygen regenerative fuel cell (RFC) to provide on-site electrical power during the lunar night. Although applicable to any power system using hydrogen-oxygen RFC's for energy storage, cryogenic reactant storage offers a significant benefit whenever the sun/shade cycle and energy storage period approach hundreds of hours. For solar power installations on the moon, cryogenic reactant storage reduces overall specific mass and meteoroid vulnerability of the system. In addition, it offers synergistic benefits to on-site users, such as availability of primary fuel cell reactants for surface rover vehicles and cryogenic propellants for OTV's. The integration involves processing and storing the RFC reactant streams as cryogenic liquids rather than pressurized gases, so that reactant containment (tankage per unit mass of reactants) can be greatly reduced. Hydrogen-oxygen alkaline RFC's, GaAs photovoltaic (PV) arrays, and space cryogenic processing/refrigeration technologies are assumed to be available for the conceptual system design. Advantages are demonstrated by comparing the characteristics of two power system concepts: a conventional lunar surface PV/RFC power system using pressurized gas storage in SOA filament wound pressure vessels and, that same system with gas liquefaction and storage replacing the pressurized storage. Comparisons are made at 20 and 250 kWe. Although cryogenic storage adds a processing plant (drying and liquefaction) to the system plus 30 percent more solar array to provide processing power, the approximate order of magnitude reduction in tankage mass, confirmed by this analysis, results in a reduction in overall total system mass of approximately 50 percent.
Document ID
19900040654
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Kohout, Lisa L.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Publication Information
Publication: Space Power
Volume: 8
Issue: 4 19
ISSN: 0883-6272
Subject Category
Energy Production And Conversion
Report/Patent Number
IAF PAPER ICOSP89-3-8
Accession Number
90A27709
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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