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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records

Lithium Nucleation of Anode-Free Solid-State Batteries with a Dry Compressible Interlayer

Anode-free lithium batteries offer promising advantages, including increased energy density and the ability to address common mechanistic failures within the cell, thus increasing safety. One way that can make this possible is to control lithium nucleation. This could be achieved by reducing the overpotential required and implanting lithophilic nucleation sites in an anodic interlayer to aid in lithium ion transport and plating. The concept has been utilized in solid-state battery systems where electrolytes are solids with further improved safety and structural longevity. In this presentation, we discuss the use of a silver-holey graphene-based anodic interlayer that can be fabricated via direct dry compression without the use of solvent or binder. The addition of silver to the holey graphene matrix creates a route to lithium plating via a lower-energy intermediate. This idea is supported by the presence of a lithium-silver alloy that forms during the activation step. It is understood that the embedded silver acts as a nucleation site for lithium ions, thereby assisting in even plating. This control, combined with the added cushion of the holey graphene itself, can help reduce dendrite formation, ultimately increasing the safety and lifetime of the solid-state batteries.

Solid state batteries↗

Emergency Lighting

A lighting system originally developed for NASA's Apollo and Skylab manned spacecraft resulted in a industrial spinoff and creation of a whole new company to produce and market the product line. The company is UDEC Corp., Waltham, Mass. UDEC's "Multi-Mode" electronic lighting systems are designed for plant emergency and supplemental use, such as night lighting, "always-on" stairwell lights and illuminated exit signs. Their advantages stem from the qualities demanded for spacecraft installation: extremely high fight output with very low energy drain, compactness, light weight, and high reliability. The Multi-Mode system includes long-life fluorescent lamps operated by electronic circuitry, a sealed battery that needs no maintenance for 10 years, and a solid-state battery charger. A typical emergency installation consists of a master module with battery and an eight watt lamp, together with four remote "Satellight" modules powered by the master's battery. As a night lighting system for maintenance or I security, UDEC fixtures can bypass the battery and 1 operate on normal current at a fraction of the energy 1 demand of conventional night lighting. Industrial customers have realized savings of better than ninety percent with UDEC night lights. UDEC started as a basement industry in 1972 but the company has already sold more than 1,000 lighting systems to building operators.

Source record↗

Emergency/Night Lightning

UDEC's highly efficient lighting system is finding wide acceptance among industrial and commercial firms as an energy savings means of providing emergency and night lighting. Originating from Skylab, the system consists of small high frequency fluorescent light fixtures powered by solar cells. Advantages of UDEC's lighting system stem from high reliability and high light output with very low energy drain. Principal components of system are long life fluorescent lamps operated by electronic circuitry, a sealed gelatine cell battery that needs no maintenance for eight years and a solid-state automatic battery charger. Installation of UDEC lighting in a company's six-and-a-half acre warehouse office cut the annual night lighting electric bill from $8,000 a year to $300 per year.

Source record↗

Availability of a communications satellite - Requirement and feasibility

An estimated 45 communications satellites will be in geostationary orbit in the 1980s. Based on past history, half of the subsystem failures will be due to design failures. Methods now used to achieve present availabilities are summarized in this paper. To increase the availability of a single satellite to 99.99%, new techniques are needed; several possibilities are suggested herein. New developments, including nickel-hydrogen batteries, magnetic bearings, and solid-state amplifiers, are possible solutions to long standing problem areas in communications satellites. Launching a satellite two or three years before the system is needed is one way to reduce design failures in subsequent satellites. Diversity of manufacture can be used to obtain the maximum advantage from redundant elements. Finally, unmanned module exchange at geostationary orbit has been shown to be technically feasible.

Gordon, G. D.↗

Design concept of geostationary platform

The payload efficiency of communication satellites has typically averaged 25 to 30% while meteorology and earth observation satellites range from 30 to 35%. Improvement in solar cell efficiency, batteries, electric propulsion for stationkeeping, and solid-state circuitry will increase this efficiency in the future, but it will still be advantageous in the Shuttle era to reduce the expenditure for support systems. A platform that provides all the support functions could reduce the initial cost due to economics of scale and also reduce transportation cost. Three alternate configurations of a platform for geosynchronous orbit communications and meteorology missions are presented

Hamilton, E. C.↗

Compact, Rugged Temperature Recorder

Solid-state temperature recorder is compact, lightweight, and rugged. Records 2,048 temperature readings over period of up to nearly a year and retains them at least another 4 months using batteries. Battery-operated recorder has no moving parts--is completely solid-state electronic.

Westbrook, R. M.↗

The CRAF/Cassini power subsystem - Preliminary design update

A chronology is provided of the rationale leading from the early Mariner spacecraft to the CRAF/Cassini Mariner Mark II power subsystem architecture. The display pathway began with a hybrid including a solar photovoltaic array, a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), and a battery supplying a power profile with a peak loading of about 300 W. The initial concept was to distribute power through a new solid-state, programmable switch controlled by an embedded microprocessor. As the overall mission, science, and project design matured, the power requirements increased. The design evolved from the hybrid to two RTG plus batteries to meet peak loadings of near 500 W in 1989. Later that year, circumstances led to abandonment of the distributed computer concept and a return to centralized control. Finally, as power requirements continued to grow, a third RTG was added to the design and the battery removed, with the return to the discharge-controller for transients during fault recovery procedures.

Atkins, Kenneth L.↗

The NASA space power technology program

NASA has a broad technology program in the field of space power. This paper describes that program, including the roles and responsibilities of the various NASA field centers and major contractors. In the power source area, the paper discusses the SP-100 Space Nuclear Power Project, which has been under way for about seven years and is making substantial progress toward development of components for a 100-kilowatt power system that can be scaled to other sizes. This system is a candidate power source for nuclear electric propulsion, as well as for a power plant for a lunar base. In the energy storage area, the paper describes NASA's battery- and fuel-cell development programs. NASA is actively working on NiCd, NiH2, and lithium batteries. A status update is also given on a U.S. Air Force-sponsored program to develop a large (150 ampere-hour) lithium-thionyl chloride battery for the Centaur upper-stage launch vehicle. Finally, the area of power management and distribution (PMAD) is addressed, including power system components such as solid-state switches and power integrated circuits. Automated load management and other computer-controlled functions offer considerable payoffs. The state of the art in space power is described, along with NASA's medium- and long-term goals in the area.

Stephenson, R. Rhoads↗

A solid-state digital temperature recorder for space use

A solid-state, digital, temperature recorder has been developed for use in space experiments. The recorder is completely self-contained and includes a temperature sensor; all necessary electronics for signal conditioning, processing, storing, control and timing; and a battery power supply. No electrical interfacing with the particular spacecraft on which the unit is used is required. The recorder is small, light, and sturdy, and has no moving parts. It uses only biocompatible materials and has passed vibration and shock spaceflight qualification tests. The unit is capable of storing 2048, -10 to +45 C, 8-bit temperature measurements taken at intervals selectable by factors of 2 from 1.875 to 240 min; data can be retained for at least 6 months. The basic recorder can be simplified to accommodate a variety of applications by adding memory to allow more data to be recorded, by changing the front end to permit measurements other than temperature to be made, and by using different batteries to realize various operating periods. Stored flight data are read out from the recorder by means of a ground read-out unit.

Westbrook, R. M.↗

Power

The space station requires an increase in power or energy of at least several orders of magnitude compared to previous space missions. With the requirement up in the range of 10 kilowatt hours, this obviiously requires the development of new technology. Although the power area is very well integrated in the spacecraft itself, it represents a diverse set of components necessary for energy conversion, electronics, and energy distribution. Considerable work is ongoing at NASA Lewis in the power devices development area, including transformers, large area solid-state chips, transistors, and fast recovery diodes. This work is oriented toward eventual application to both AC and DC power conversion approaches. In the energy storage area, there are many options available to fit into the space station representing various degrees of risk and leverage combination, such as the near-term integral-pressure-vessel nickel hydrogen battery, an advanced Ni-H2 battery concept, and the regenrative hydrogen-oxygen system utilizing essentially the Shuttle orbiter type of fuel cell.

Corbett, R.↗

High voltage systems (tube-type microwave)/low voltage system (solid-state microwave) power distribution

SPS satellite power distribution systems are described. The reference Satellite Power System (SPS) concept utilizes high-voltage klystrons to convert the onboard satellite power from dc to RF for transmission to the ground receiving station. The solar array generates this required high voltage and the power is delivered to the klystrons through a power distribution subsystem. An array switching of solar cell submodules is used to maintain bus voltage regulation. Individual klystron dc voltage conversion is performed by centralized converters. The on-board data processing system performs the necessary switching of submodules to maintain voltage regulation. Electrical power output from the solar panels is fed via switch gears into feeder buses and then into main distribution buses to the antenna. Power also is distributed to batteries so that critical functions can be provided through solar eclipses.

Nussberger, A. A.↗

Portable High-Frequency Data-Acquisition System

Compact unit made of readily available solid-state components. Proposed system for acquisition of rapidly changing data self-contained and portable. Conceived for monitoring such aerodynamic effects as flutter, vibration, shock, sound, and pressure. Offers precise and fast acquisition of data and large data-storage capacity: has maximum sampling rate of 125 kHz, access time of 15 ns, and 1-million-bit memory. Measures time with "smart" (microprocessor-controlled) watch that maintains calendar time for more than 10 years without external power. Provides standby power from "smart" battery furnishing up to 1 ampere-hour of charge if power from main batteries lost.

Mustain, Roy W.↗