STUDY ON THE DESIGN OF RADIOISOTOPE THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR FOR KOREAN SPACE MISSION

摘要

A Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) is a useful power source in deep space, which generates electric energy from the decay heat of radioisotopes. The Korea government established a plan for lunar exploration, and RTG research has been initiated in Korea since 2014. The first target of Korean RTG program (from 2016 to 2018) is the development of an engineering model, which generates more than 3 We of electricity using an electric heater instead of radioisotope. In this study, an RTG was designed and several case studies for the heat source module, the thermoelectric module, and the insulation structure were carried out to enhance the performance of the RTG.