The cavity heat pipe Stirling receiver for space solar dynamicsThe receiver/storage unit for the low-earth-orbiting Stirling system is discussed. The design, referred to as the cavity heat pipe (CHP), has been optimized for minimum specific mass and volume width. A specific version of this design at the 7-kWe level has been compared to the space station Brayton solar dynamic design. The space station design utilizes a eutectic mixture of LiF and CaF2. Using the same phase change material, the CHP has been shown to have a specific mass of 40 percent and a volume of 5 percent of that of the space station Brayton at the same power level. Additionally, it complements the free-piston Stirling engine in that it also maintains a relatively flat specific mass down to at least 1 kWe. The technical requirements, tradeoff studies, critical issues, and critical technology experiments are discussed.
Document ID
19900051114
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Kesseli, James B. (Sanders Associates, Inc. Nashua, NH, United States)
Lacy, Dovie E. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)