Title :
Performance of dark I-V tests to determine the condition of spacecraft solar arrays
Author :
Gaddy, Edward M.
Author_Institution :
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
fDate :
29 Sep-3 Oct 1997
Abstract :
Dark I-V tests are sometimes used to determine the condition of spacecraft solar cell arrays. This is particularly true in cases where the array is mounted on the spacecraft such that some or all of the array cannot be illuminated. This paper shows that these tests are unable to find even significant damage to arrays and, for the most part, serve only as continuity checks. This is shown to be the case from both theory and experiment
Keywords :
aerospace testing; electric current measurement; semiconductor device testing; solar cell arrays; space vehicle power plants; voltage measurement; PV performance; array damage; dark I-V tests; spacecraft solar cell arrays; Current density; Diodes; Government; Photovoltaic cells; Shape; Short circuit currents; Silicon; Space vehicles; Testing; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3767-0
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1997.654245
