PHOTOEMISSIVE ENERGY CONVERSION APPLIED RESEARCH PROGRAM

Abstract

THE FEASIBILITY WAS STUDIED OF MAKING A CLOSESPACED, GLASS-SANDWICH PHOTOEMISSIVE SOLAR POWER CONVERTER. IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO MAKE OPERABLE SEALED-OFF CONVERTERS IN THE LABORATORY DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF SEALING WITHIN A VACUUM SYSTEM AND THE PARTICULAR CONFIGURATION OF THE DEVICE GIVING A LARGE VALUE OF SURFACE-TOVOLUME RATIO. THE REQUIREMENT OF A LOW WORKFUNCTION SURVACE FOR THE ANODE WAS VERIFIED BY A TEST INVOLVING CHANGING THE INTERELECTRODE SPACING OF A CONVERTER IN SITU WITHIN THE PROCESSING SYSTEM. CONVERTER ACTION WAS OBTAINED WITH A SPACING OVER AN INCH, BUT DECREASED WITH SPACING. IT WAS NOTED THAT AT CLOSER SPACINGS THE OUTPUT POWER INCREASES AND THE INTERNAL RESISTANCE DECREASES. CONSIDERATION OF THE SUBSEQUENT INVENTION AND DEMONSTRATION OF THE CADMIUM SULPHIDE SOLAR POWER CONVERTER AT RELATIVELYHIGH CONVERSION EFFICIENCIES AND IN A THIN, FLEXIBLE, POLYCRYSTALLINE FILM FORM LEADS TO THE CONCLUSTION THAT THE PHOTOEMISSIVE CONVERTER IS NO LONGER COMPETITIVE

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1962
Accession Number
AD0294000

Entities

People

  • A.s. Jensen
  • E.f. Wood
  • Igor Limansky

Organizations

  • Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Conversion
  • Converters
  • Demonstrations
  • Efficiency
  • Electronic Equipment
  • Energy
  • Energy Conversion
  • Inventions
  • Polycrystals
  • Power Converters
  • Resistance
  • Solar Energy
  • Sulfides

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electronics Engineering
  • Surface Engineering/Surface Coating Technology.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster