CONDENSER COMPONENT DESIGN FOR OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY IN ALKALI METAL THERMOELECTRIC CONVERSION (AMTEC) SYSTEMS

THIS PROJECT RELATES TO POWER OR ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEMS UTILIZING LIQUID METALS WITH CONDENSATION PHASE CHANGE. THEAPPLICATION ADDRESSED HERE IS ALKALI METAL THERMOELECTRIC CONVERSION (AMTEC) SYSTEMS, THERMALLY REGENERATIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL DEVICES FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF HEAT TOELECTRICAL ENERGY. AMTEC SYSTEMS ARE BEING CONSIDERED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SPACE POWER SYSTEMS SUCH AS SP-100 AND FOR SOLAR-ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION. AMTEC SYSTEMS ARE GOOD CANDIDATES FOR SPACE POWER APPLICATONS BECAUSE THEY HAVE HIGH EFFICIENCY, LONG LIFE EXPECTANCY, REDUNDANCY, AND NO MOVING PARTS. THE PROPOSED WORK ADDRESSES THE DESIGN OF THE LIQUID METAL CONDENSER FOR AN AMTEC POWER MODULE. AN INNOVATIVE DESIGN FOR A THIN-FILM CONDENSER IS PROPOSED, BASED UPON CAPILLARY PRINCIPLES, WHICH TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE HIGH SURFACE TENSION OF LIQUID METALS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ASSESS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NOVEL CONDENSER DESIGN FOR LIQUID METALS, WITH SPECIFIC APPLICATION TO AMTEC DEVICES WHICH ARE OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST.