A summary of the National Research Council´s report on thermionics

The US National Research Council (NRC) recently published a report titled thermionics Quo Vadis? An assessment of the DTRA´s advanced thermionics research and development program. The report presented the conclusions of an independent assessment of the DTRA program by a thermionics committee established by the NRC. As members of the NRC thermionics committee, the authors will present a summary of the findings and recommendations made in the report, along with a summary of the process used to arrive at them and selected supporting information. Although thermionic systems have the potential to satisfy many future power system needs, other power conversion technologies are also being developed. In relation to these other potential technologies, the committee believed that thermionic technology may offer equal or superior merit for specific missions. The future sponsor should continue to evaluate and develop the possibilities of thermionic systems despite the challenge of preserving, continuing, and advancing this technology in the near term.