Title :
High voltages in space: innovation in space insulation
Author :
Rustan, P. ; Garrett, H. ; Schor, M.J.
Author_Institution :
Strategic Defense Initiative Organ., The Pentagon, Washington, DC, USA
fDate :
10/1/1993 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The results of the Space Power Experiment Aboard Rockets (SPEAR) rocket series, which evaluated the effects of the space environment on high voltage (HV) insulation, are described. SPEAR I demonstrated that voltages >40 kV could be sustained in the space environment. SPEAR II ground-based simulations and tests demonstrated a number of new technologies for utilizing the properties of the space environment to reduce insulation requirements. Its results led to the construction of a reliable, lightweight, 6- to 100-kV, 1-MV pulse transformer that had significantly reduced bulk insulating media and solid insulators. A space-vacuum-insulated, lightweight, high-current storage inductor was developed which advanced the state of the art in space insulation. The SPEAR III experiment combined these developments in HV insulation technology into a comprehensive test of methods for grounding high potentials in space
Keywords :
aerospace instrumentation; aerospace simulation; electric breakdown of solids; high-voltage techniques; power inductors; transformer insulation; 1 MV; 6 to 100 kV; HV insulation technology; SPEAR I; SPEAR II ground-based simulations; SPEAR III experiment; Space Power Experiment Aboard Rockets; high voltage insulation; high-current storage inductor; pulse transformer; solid insulators; space environment; space insulation; Grounding; Inductors; Insulation testing; Power transformer insulation; Pulse transformers; Rockets; Solids; Space technology; Technological innovation; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Electrical Insulation, IEEE Transactions on
