STUDY ON THE DESIGN OF PO-210 BASED RADIOISOTOPE THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS FOR IMPLEMENTATION ON LOW-EARTH ORBIT SATELLITES

摘要

This work presents a design study on the utilization of Po-210 as an alternative to Pu-238, for the fueling of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). particularly destined for short-lived low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite missions. This alpha-emitter based battery design explores mission critical factors such as the radioisotope required mass, heat-to-electrical energy conversion system and theoretical battery form factors. Three distinct satellite missions are examined to represent the broad scope of power ranges employed by LEO satellites. Based on results for Beginning-of-life (BOL) and End-of-life (EOL) power requirements, a performance envelope is identified for the generic use of ~(210)Po on RTG-based missions.