A Neutron-Hardened Based-Drive Regulated Power Converter

摘要

A compact nuclear-hardened 50-W regulated power converter has been designed and evaluated. The converter operates with a battery (14 plus or minus 2V) and furnishes one voltage (-7 V) on battery initiation and several other voltages (+1500, +90, and +22 V) on actuation of a delayed switch. The power converter was irradiated by fast-neutron pulses at the Diamond Ordnance Radiation Facility in a TRIGA Mark F reactor. After an accumulated irradiation dosage of 2 x 10 to the 14th power neutrons/sq cm, E > 10 keV, the converter output voltages were down 2 percent and efficiency was down to 45 percent, which performance is within specifications. The converter output voltages were down 12 percent and efficiency was down to 39 percent after an irradiation dosage of 5 x 10 to the 14th power neutrons/sq cm, E > 10 keV, the next probable design objective. Greater degradation could be expected if the dose were received in a single pulse. (Author)