AMTEC radioisotope power system design and analysis for Pluto Express Fly-By

Abstract

The Pluto Express Fly-By program requires a radioisotope power system (RPS) to supply spacecraft power for various internal functions and mission instruments and experiments. AMTEC (alkali-metal thermoelectric conversion) power conversion is the DOE-selected technology for an advanced, high-efficiency RPS to power the Pluto Express Fly-By spacecraft. An AMTEC-based RPS using the general purpose heat source (GPHS) has been conceptually designed to satisfy the Pluto Express power requirements. Integrated AMTEC cell and system thermal/electrical design analyses, structural design analyses and mass analyses were performed to define an optimum system design. Using fresh radioisotope fuel at beginning of mission, the RPS produces 102 watts of power, has a mass of 8.35 kg (specific power density=12.2 watts/kg), with a system conversion efficiency of 20.3%. Mass/power scale-up estimates have also been generated, indicating that a 150-watt version of this RPS would weigh approximately 11.3 kg. This paper presents and discusses the key features of this RPS design, the design and analysis methodology, and the numerous system and AMTEC cell tradeoff studies establishing the optimum AMTEC-based RPS.