Obstacles and Solutions to High Voltage, High Power Space Systems
- Paper number
IAC-08.C3.3.7
- Author
Dr. Henry W. Brandhorst, Auburn University, United States
- Coauthor
Mrs. Julie Rodiek, Auburn University, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The future of space exploration and commercialization will rely upon high voltage, high power space systems. As power levels increase well above 50 kW, high voltage operation becomes attractive, if not mandatory in order to decrease cabling mass. Planetary surface exploration, solar electric propulsion missions, higher power communication systems and commercial power delivery to earth will all have to operate at higher voltages than are used today – even to the multi-kilowatt level. The main obstacle to such high voltage operation in solar arrays is the potential for electrostatic discharge. Arcing is currently seen in today’s GEO satellites operating at 100 V, so it will be a major design problem to significantly increase the voltage. This paper will discuss the issues associated with high voltage, high power space systems and the types of solar arrays that can accommodate these high voltage levels reliably and cost effectively. Control issues, voltage issues, power transmission effects, efficiencies, and effective structures will all be addressed. There has been a tendency recently to look toward thin film cells for these applications due to weight issues but they have serious limitations. Among these are their lower efficiency which leads to much increased area and arcing issues due to limited surface protection. In the same way, current commercial satellites in the 20-25 kW power range have demonstrated their susceptibility to arcing in GEO. The Stretched Lens Array (SLA) invented by ENTECH, Inc. appears to be a viable solution to the expected high energy needs of tomorrow. It is low cost, lightweight, and is inherently designed to prevent arcing in high voltage, high power operation. In the SLA module, the cover glass extends well beyond the cell edges and is further filled with silicone to provide a sealed environment. In this paper, each different array design will be examined for use in high voltage environments and the results described in detail. Ground testing of solar arrays at high voltages can determine potential charging issues that need to be addressed prior to launch. Corona breakdown testing and hypervelocity particle impact testing will be described and their impact discussed. Another issue of concern is scalability of these designs for additional power. One approach for electric propulsion missions would be to design building blocks that contain a propulsion integral with the power unit. New and existing solar array technologies must be validated for high voltage operation to enable the development of future large space power systems. Obstacles must be overcome and solutions determined to provide reliable space power in massive quantities. These issues will all be discussed in this paper.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.C3.3.7.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.