Test evaluation of a cesium vapor source and regulator for thermionic space power systems

This paper presents the results of nearly 8000 hours of testing of a fully developed cesium vapor source on the integrated TOPAZ II Ya-21U thermionic space power system. The test period included 4000 hours of system thermal vacuum operation and evaluation by Russian specialists at the Central Design Bureau for Machine Building (CDBMB), St. Petersburg, Russia; nearly 4000 hours of thermal vacuum tests at the Thermionic Systems Evaluation Test (TSET) laboratory; and mechanical tests at the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM. Testing of the non-nuclear Ya-21U system provided significant information for evaluation and characterization of the cesium vapor source that could not be obtained by development and qualification testing of only components. The Ya-21U system and cesium vapor source were subjected to excessive, unplanned stress levels during the system evaluation tests which resulted in leakage of oxygen into the cesium subsystem and cesium vapor from the TFEs. The information and experience gained during the thermionic system evaluation test are useful for improvement of future cesium vapor subsystem designs, test support equipment, and system test procedures. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics