Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2020
18th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF A STIRLING CYCLE FOR SPACE POWER SYSTEMS
Submission Author:
Ermerson Moura , SP
Co-Authors:
Ermerson Moura, Guilherme Borges Ribeiro, Izabela Henriques
Presenter: Ermerson Moura
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2020.CIT20-0127
Abstract
The great challenges currently for space exploration are energy generation and storage systems with high efficiency associated with low mass and compatibility, allowing missions with lower costs and launch risks. In dynamic power generation systems for space applications, the conversion cycle must have high reliability, low mass, and efficiency. The nuclear energy-associated Stirling cycle has these characteristics. For this, a thermodynamic model coupled with a heat pipe model was applied to analyze the energy efficiency of a free piston Stirling cycle for nuclear power generation in space. The model considered conduction losses (thermal bridge), heat pipe efficiency, finite and regeneration time. The compression ratio considerably influences the overall cycle efficiency, the temperature of the cold side influences the efficiency of the cycle more significantly than the hot source. The liquid metal has a great impact on the performance of the cycle. The use of sodium as a liquid metal for the dimensional parameters used in this paper reduces the efficiency of the cycle by 6.76% compared to the results obtained for lithium. The increase of the number of heat pipes has a greater impact on the efficiency of the machine than the individual increase in the dimensions of the pipe.
Keywords
Stirling cycle, Nuclear Propulsion, Heat Pipes, thermodynamic analysis
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