Progress report No. 41 for a program of thermoelectric generator testing and RTG degradation-mechanisms evaluation
Sublimation tests conducted on Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ coated SiGe (78%-22%) legs and SiMo hot shoes produced by G.E. were continued during this reporting period. The present test time for the SiGe legs is 1623 hours, while that for the SiMo hot-shoes is 1028 hours. No unexpected results have been observed. G.E.'s conjecture that the coatings on the SiGe legs which we presently have on test are faulty is confirmed, as this material has displayed coating failure on all n-doped samples at 1150/sup 0/C with failures beginning to show at 1100/sup 0/C. No coating failures have been observed on the hot shoes on test. Thermal conductivity tests conducted on SiGe (78% to 22%) material were extended to over 6000 hours with excellent agreement with MHW results. Testing of the 4 couple module PR-1 has been conducted for over 2,000 hours with similar agreement with past MHW tests. Testing of the Q1-A generator is continuing. The present test time is 33,632 hours. The performance of the generator remains smooth and continuous. Testing of the S/N-1 and S/N-3 eighteen couple modules has been extended to 35,105 hours and 32,403 hours, respectively. As with the Q1-A generator, the performance of these modules remains steady and smooth. Comparisons between computer predictions and the actual performance of the RTGs aboard the Voyager I and II spacecrafts has been extended to approximately four years. The agreement with prediction, in both cases, is within 0.5 percent. The corresponding comparisons for the LES-8 and LES-9 RTGs are for over five years with the same excellent agreement.
- Research Organization:
- California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI03-79ET33062
- OSTI ID:
- 5329383
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ET/33062-T7; ON: DE82008664; TRN: 82-013509
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Thermoelectric generator testing and RTG degradation mechanisms evaluation. Progress report No. 37
Thermoelectric generator testing and RTG degradation mechanisms evaluation. Progress report No. 36
Related Subjects
07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
GERMANIUM ALLOYS
SUBLIMATION
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
SILICON ALLOYS
THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
VOYAGER SPACE PROBES
RADIOISOTOPE BATTERIES
COATINGS
FAILURES
RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCES
SILICON NITRIDES
THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS
ALLOYS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EVAPORATION
HEAT SOURCES
MATERIALS
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SPACE VEHICLES
TESTING
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
VEHICLES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
300301* - Thermoelectric Generators- Design & Development
300302 - Thermoelectric Generators- Performance & Testing
070300 - Isotopic Power Supplies