Design characteristics and fabrication of radioisotope heat sources for space missions

Rinehart, Gary H.

doi:10.1016/s0149-1970(01)00005-1

Cited by 81 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…1 A thermal reductive layer could also be used to achieve more precise thermionic emission current densities. 1 Tables 1 7 and 2 [8][9][10] give the characteristics of the selected radioisotopes, their shielding requirements and emission current densities.…”

Section: Radioisotopementioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Kabila rocket: A radioisotope heated thermionic plasma rocket engine

Mboyi

Ren

Liu

2015

Chinese Journal of Aeronautics

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A new type of plasma rocket engine, the Kabila rocket, using a radioisotope heated thermionic heating chamber instead of a conventional combustion chamber or catalyst bed is introduced and it achieves specific impulses similar to the ones of conventional solid and bipropellant rockets. Curium-244 is chosen as a radioisotope heat source and a thermal reductive layer is also used to obtain precise thermionic emissions. The self-sufficiency principle is applied by simultaneously heating up the emitting material with the radioisotope decay heat and by powering the different valves of the plasma rocket engine with the same radioisotope decay heat using a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. This rocket engine is then benchmarked against a 1 N hydrazine thruster configuration operated on one of the Pleiades-HR-1 constellation spacecraft. A maximal specific impulse and power saving of respectively 529 s and 32% are achieved with helium as propellant. Its advantages are its power saving capability, high specific impulses and simultaneous ease of storage and restart. It can however be extremely voluminous and potentially hazardous. The Kabila rocket is found to bring great benefits to the existing spacecraft and further research should optimize its geometric characteristics and investigate the physical principals of its operation.

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Section: Radioisotopementioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Kabila rocket: A radioisotope heated thermionic plasma rocket engine

Mboyi

Ren

Liu

2015

Chinese Journal of Aeronautics

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“…These heaters place the heat of radioactive decay directly where it is needed. Additional information on radioisotope heaters can be found in [24].…”

Section: Heatersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Systems

Meseguer

Pérez-Grande

Sanz-Andrés

et al. 2014

The International Handbook of Space Technology

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“…Another factor is the effect of ''unwanted'' or background radiation on an instrument's scientific performance. This is applicable not only to radiation emanating from the scientific instruments but also from components such as Radio-isotope Thermal Generators (RTG), which are used for spacecraft power [12]. The additional background radiation, which will be generated from an RTG is considerable and will further increase the hazards and potentially compromise the ability of the payload to conduct its planned observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%