power technologies for space exploration

Advanced Power Systems

April 18, 2020

Power Technologies for Space Exploration

This document contains no ITAR or EAR controlled information

Aerojet Rocketdyne (AR) “Firsts” in Space & Launch

1940’s 1950’s 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s 1990’s 2000’s 2010’s

AerobeeFirst Production

LauncherApollo 11First Human

Moon Landing

ShuttleFirst Flight,

Reusable Launch System

VikingFirst MarsLander

NERVA

NRX/ESTFirst Nuclear Flight Type Rocket Engine

SNAP 10AFirst Production Space Nuclear Fission Power

NEARFirst Asteroid

Lander

CassiniFirst Spacecraft to Orbit Saturn

MessengerFirst Spacecraft

to Orbit Mercury

New

HorizonsFirst Pluto

Flyby

AEHFFirst USA Hall Thruster Flight

MMRTGFirst Multi-mission

Radioisotope

Mars

Science LabDeepest

Throttling Monoprop

Engine

Saturn VLargest Production

Human Rated Rocket Engines

JATOFirst Jet Assisted Take-off from an Aircraft Carrier

PolarisFirst Submarine Launched ICBM

EELVMaiden

Launches of Atlas V and

Delta IV

TelstarFirst Flight of a Hydrazine

Arcjet

1st US

Human

Spaceflight

Curiosity RoverLargest Lander

Safely On Mars

RL10 EngineWorld’s First

LOX/Hydrogen Engine

Additive

ManufacturingFirst 3D Printed Rocket Engine

VoyagerFurthest, Longest

Life Spacecraft

DC-X1st Reusable VTOL Vehicle

2

Electric Power


Paving the Way in Rocket & Power Technology

Since the Start of the Space Age

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AerobeeHi.jpg

3

Next Generation Launch

at Aerojet Rocketdyne

• Incorporates latest advances in

manufacturing

• Responsive launch capabilities

• Reusability for certain mission

profiles to reduce cost

• Complement launch vehicles with

in-space transportation solutions

rocket .com

This document contains no ITAR or EAR controlled information3

Power TechnologiesAn Overview


Reg. Fuel Cell

Energy Source Energy Storage PMADPower Generation

Solar

Photovoltaic

Dynamic

Radioisotope

Nuclear

Thermal Management

Brayton

Stirling

Rankine

Thermoelectric

Thermionic

Fuel CellsChemical

Primary Battery

Turbine or Cryogenic Engine

Thermo PV

Secondary Battery

Flywheel

Thermal Storage (MC)

Fission Capacitor

Superconducting ES

Tether

Magnetosphere

Plasma

NiH2

Li-Ion/Polymer

AMTEC

Wide Bandgap

Electronics

PMAD Controller

MHD

Tube/Fin Radiator

Pump Loop Radiator

Loop HP Radiator

High T Coolant (LM)

Low T Coolant

EM Pump

Mechanical Pump

HP Radiator

Non-Conventional HP

MMOD Protection

Gas Coolant (CBC)

Power System Integration

Reflector/CPV

Architecture/

Topologies

Power System Synthesis / Model

Bimodal Converter

PPU for EP

AR end-to-end power capabilities cover system integration, h/w, s/w & controllers

Power System Software/Control

AR End-to-End Space Power Technologies


Space Power Technology Area Overview


Courtesy of Pat Beauchamp, Richard Ewell, Erik Brandon, Rao Surampudi, “Solar Power and Energy Storage for Planetary Missions,” JPL, OPAG August 25, 2015

6

Power Technologies

Solar Power System


International Space Station

Width: 109 m

Length: 73 m

Height: ~ 20 m

~ 400.2 km above Earth

Inclination: 51.64 degrees

Orbit Earth every ~93 minutes

Fully crewed: 6

Launch 20 November 1998


The ISS has the highest power level (100 kW continuous at BOL) in space


AR Designed and Integrated International Space Station (ISS) End to End Electric Power System (EPS)

• Human rated, EVA/EVR

maintainable, LEO spacecraft

power system

• Launched incrementally, operating

continually for over 19 years

• On orbit hardware reliability

exceeds requirements

• 100 kW (capacity at Beginning of

Life) continuous power

• 262 kW power generation with 1.5 -

2.4% annual degradation rate

• 421 kWh energy storage of newly

replaced Li-Ion Batteries

• 160V Primary Power Distribution &

120V Secondary Power Distribution

9

Main Bus Switching Unit (4) DC Switching Unit (8)

Sequential

Shunt

Unit (8)

Battery ORU (48 -> 24)

DC-DC

Converter

Unit (18 INT/

14 EXT/

2 Heat Pipe)

Remote

Power

Controller

Module (210/

6 Types)

AR Designed and Integrated ISS EPSEnd to End System, ORUs, Control Software

Pump &

Flow

Control

(8)

Solar Array

Wing &

Beta Gimbal

Assembly

(8 wings)

Battery Charge-

Discharge Unit (24)

Plasma Contactor (2)

Ni-H2 Battery

PVM Radiator (4)

Electronics

Control Unit

(8)

AR has solar based high power, high voltage, human-rated EPS heritage

Li-Ion Battery


Battery Charge

Discharge Unit

48 Ni-H2

Battery ORUs

Main

Bus

Switch

Unit

System

Loads

(EPCE)

24 Li-Ion Batteries

Power Distribution System & Power FlowAssembly Complete

93 kW

9912003.ppt

ls

Main BusSwitch

Unit

dc-dcConverter

SystemLoads

PV Arrays

AlphaJoint

PrimaryDistribution

96 kW

193 kW

88 kW

PV ModuleParasitics

8 kW

76 kW

84 kW 106 kW

PV Arrays

193 kW

BatteryCharge

Discharge Unit

Ni-H2Batteries

Notes

Orbit Data

Entire Orbit 93 min

Sunlit 58 min

Eclipse 35 min

Battery Duty

Capacity 189 kWh

Discharge 34%/Orbit

PV Arrays

193 kW

93 kW

88 kW

76 kW

Dc-DcConverter

Alpha Joint

96 kW

84 kW 106 kW

High energy density Li-Ion Batteries to replace Ni-H2 Batteries with 2:1 ratio


ISS EPS Power Flow at Year 4

11

During STS-120, astronaut Scott Parazynski performs makeshift

repairs to a US solar array which damaged itself when unfolding


ISS Li-Ion Battery

1 ORU

~15 KW Hrs

428 lbs

10 year life

30 Cells in Series

71 Temp Sensors

60 Cell Voltage Senses

2 Battery Bus Voltage

2 Heaters strings (redundancy)

60 Heaters (2 per cell)

30 Charge Bypass Circuitry

30 Cell Isolation Circuitry

ISS Li-Ion BatteryFeature Description


ISS Li-Ion BatteryLaunch Integration – Batteries in Shipping Containers at JAXA


6 NiH/ IEA Deck

6 Li-Ion Batteries Replace

12 Ni-H2 Batteries per Power Module

ISS Li-Ion Battery Replacement

The ISS Li-ion Batteries has the highest energy storage level (421 kWh) in space


• S4 3A Batteries

• Robotically installed 12/31–1/2/2017

• EVA and start up 1/6/2017

• S4 1A Batteries

• Robotically installed 1/8–1/12/2017

• EVA and start up 1/13/2017

Changing Batteries on ISS S4 Truss


ISS Expedition 61 EVA 1 (10/6/2019)


The Artemis Program


20

Lunar Surface Power Roadmap

Energy Storage/Power

Generation

(Batteries, PEM Fuel Cells)

Lander with Solar Array

(Deployed, Articulated, Dust

Cover)

2024

Initial, Polar, 6.5 days in Sun, 3 kW

2028Sustained, Polar/Non-polar, Through Lunar Night, Rover, ISRU Demonstration, 10 kW

2032

Fission Surface Power

(Reactor - HEU, LEU

Heat Transport – HP, Gas, LM

Shielding – LiH, B4C; W

PCU – Stirling, Brayton

TCS – HP radiator, Pump Loop)

Rover Power Beaming

(Laser, RF)

Energy Storage (Regenerative Fuel Cells)

Polar Reflective Tower

w/Surface SA

Sustained, Polar/Non-polar, Through Lunar Night, Habitat, Rover, ISRU, 20 kW

Radioisotope Power System (RTG, Dynamic RPS)

Radiation Tolerant PMAD (Si, GaN)

This document contains no ITAR or EAR controlled information 20

AR Power CapabilitySpace Nuclear Power Converter

Radioisotope Power System (RPS)


Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG)


• Fueled and

operational for over

11 earth years

• Operational on Mars

for over 7 earth

years (2600 Sols)

• Total energy: 6,500

kW-hr

F1 MMRTG Facts (as of 12/3/2019)

23This document contains no ITAR or EAR controlled information23

MMRTG Powering Future NASA Missions

Mars 2020 – F2 MMRTG

• Fueling of the F2 for Mars 2020 was

completed in August 2019

• Acceptance testing was completed in

October 2019.

• Launch planned for July 2020

Dragonfly – F3 MMRTG

• Mission selected in 2019

• Exploration of Saturn’s moon Titan

• Planned launch 2026

• MMRTG thermally integrated to provide

heat and power to the spacecraft

FIGURES COURTESY OF OPAG RPS & UPDATE ON TECHNOLOGY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020


Next GenRadioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG)

• Next Gen RTG

–Deep space (vacuum only) generator providing higher power and

higher specific power compared to MMRTG for planetary science

missions

–Modular System

–Qualification Unit, 9/2028

MMRTG:Power: 110 WeEfficiency: 6%Specific Power: 2.8 W/kg

Next Gen:Power: Modular 400-500 WeEfficiency: 10-14%Specific Power: 6-8 W/kg

AR has the most recent and complete RTG experience


Dynamic RPS - Convertor Development Delivery in 2020

Dynamic RPS Generator and Convertor Designs


AR Power CapabilitySpace Nuclear Power Converter

Fission Power System (FPS)


AR has the most extensive space fission power system (FSP) experience in the US

Program Program Summary Time

SNAP-2 55 kWt, 5 kWe, UZrH,

922 K, Hg-Rankine, 1 year

1956 –

1967

SNAP-10A

(Flight)

40 kWt, 525 We, UZrH,

810 K, TE-SiGe, 1 year

1960 -

1967

SNAP-8 600 kWt, 50 kWe, UZrH,

980 K, Hg-Rankine, 1 year

1960 –

1967

SNAP-50

/SPUR

2.2 MWt, 300 kWe, 1376K, K-

Rankine, 60 khrs

1961 -

1967

Adv. ZrH 5-kWe 110 kWt, 5 kWe, UZrH,

922 K,TE, 5 years

1964 –

1973

SP-100 410 kWt, 100 kWe, UO2,

1150 K, TE, CBC & ST

1984 -

1985

Multi-MegaWatt 5 MWt, 1 MWe, UN, 1,550K, K-

Rankine, 7 years

1988 -

1990

S-PRIME 500 kWt, 40 kWe, UO2

900 K, Thermionic, 5 years

1992 -

1995

Prometheus

NRA

Power Conversion Tech.

Development

2001 -

2004

JIMO 550 kWt, 100 kWe, UN,

1175 K, CBC, ST & TE, 16 years

2002 -

2005

Fission Surface

Power

175 kWt, 40 kWe, UO2, 900 K, ST,

CBC, Organic Rankine, 8 years

2007 -

2008

Fission Surface

Power

1 to 10 kWe, KiloPower,, LEU or

HEU

2018 -

2020

AR designed, integrated, launched, and operated one and the only US space FPS in 1965


Courtesy of Lee Mason and John Scott, “Mars Transportation Assessment Study NEP Power System GR&A,” 11/15/2019 Updated


An Evolutionary Fission Development Path

29

Courtesy of Marc Gibson and Paul Schmitz, “Higher Power Design Concepts for NASA’s Kilopower Reactor,“ IEEE Big Sky, 2020


Reactor Module and Power System

30

Power Management and Distribution

• AR Heritage LiH casting shield

• Haynes 230 superalloy HP bonding

& Additive Manufacture

• Wide Bandgap Power

Electronic PMAD

• Ti/Water Heat Pipe

Radiator

AR Current Efforts and Readiness for Fission Surface Power / Kilopower Integration

• Patented Stirling Boost

Bridge Converter

Kilopower System Engineering/Integration

AR has technologies for Fission Surface Power System Integration

• Reactor & Radiation Shield Analysis


Radioisotope Power System

• AR continues RTGs for deep space exploration

• Mars 2020, Dragonfly, Discovery & New

Frontier missions

• AR is leading eMMRTG and competing Next-Gen

development

• AR looks for efficient RPSs

• Stirling and Brayton Cycle

Fission Surface Power and Nuclear

Electric PropulsionLeveraging SNAP Reactor Experience

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Leveraging NERVA Experience

• AR provides key support

• Leveraging nuclear

power heritage

• Leveraging dynamic

power generation and

PMAD heritage

• Systems engineering,

synthesis, trades and

integration

• AR provides key support

• Leveraging nuclear

thermal rocket heritage

• Leveraging rocket

engine heritage

• System engineering

and integration


AR Supports Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion For Exploration

32

Advanced Power Systems


power technologies for space exploration

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