Design and Stress Analysis of Extraterrestrial ... - The Black Vault

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However,
the use of thermibnic cohverters *still involves many
, ~difficulties including the following.
Cefptain problems of the ,oberating process'of converters have
been poorly studied.
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, Cathodes 6f the converters,operate at temperatures above 1 400 0 C
*In contact Vith cesium 'vapor .whose corrosiveness is
well known.
Under" these conditions, to sel~ct material rhich will operate for
a long period of time Ps difficult.
The anodes of convertersmust have an insulation which, on the
one 'hand, will I not break I at high temperatures and, oh the other
hand, has high heat conductivity •for cooling the anode. Such
insulating material is diffitult to'find..
A ccnverter is
more effective the .Less the gap b~tween the
anode and the ca'thode. Th.e gap is 0.01 mm and reaches 0.5 mm or
more.
With'such a comiparatively small gap thermal strains in
converter are commensurate withithe gap, which fact complicates
S, ~design.
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And, finally, in the manufacture of thermionic converters many
unresolvbd technological problemhs arise Which determine the function-
*lity of the design (for example, to solder or weld multilayer construction'of
different types- of material.L- '
All thea nionic converters can be broken down into three large
grouph based c,
design:
'i ,. converters combined with:reaptor fuel element;
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converters cqmbined with a radiator;
converters combined with a heat exchanger.
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