A MULTI-FOIL(R) insulation system for a solar bimodal power and propulsion system: design, fabrication and testing

Author

Miskolczy, Gabor ; Burchfield, Joe ; Miller, Barry ; Ales, Matt ; Rochow, Hawk

Author_Institution

Coleman Res. Corp., Waltham, MA, USA

Volume

1

fYear

1997

fDate

27 Jul-1 Aug 1997

Firstpage

431

Abstract

Preliminary results of the thermal testing of the insulation package for Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS) program is presented and compared to design predictions. This subscale system of the Receiver Absorber Converter (RAC) was named RACCET and was tested with electrical and solar heating at the solar test facility at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The thermal tests showed that the heat losses were much higher then predicted. At 2500 K the measured losses were 6160 W versus the predicted 2500 W. The mechanisms for this difference are examined. These results are then used to modify the design of the shielding and thereby reduce the heat losses for the insulation package for the Engine Ground Demonstration (EGD) version of the RAC

Keywords

aerospace propulsion; aerospace testing; heat losses; insulation testing; solar absorber-convertors; solar heating; solar power stations; space vehicle power plants; thermal analysis; thermal insulation; thermionic conversion; 2500 K; 6160 W; Engine Ground Demonstration; Integrated Solar Upper Stage; MULTI-FOIL(R) insulation system; Receiver Absorber Converter; design; fabrication; heat losses; shielding; solar bimodal space power/propulsion system; solar heating; solar test facility; testing; Dielectrics and electrical insulation; Fabrication; Insulation testing; Loss measurement; Packaging; Propulsion; Resistance heating; Solar heating; System testing; Temperature;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, 1997. IECEC-97., Proceedings of the 32nd Intersociety

Conference_Location

Honolulu, HI

Print_ISBN

0-7803-4515-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IECEC.1997.659228

Filename

659228