Design and analysis of RTGs for CRAF and Cassini missions

The paper describes the design and analysis of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) integrated with the Jet Proplusion Laboratory's CRAF (Comet Rendezvous and Asteroid Flyby) and Cassini Spacecraft. The principal purpose of the CRAF mission is the study of Asteroids and comets, and the principal purpose of the Cassini mission is the study of asteroids, Saturn, and its moons (particularly Titan). Both misions will employ the Mariner/Mark-2 spacecraft, and each will be powered by two GPHS-RTGs (General Purpose Heat Source-RTGs). JPL's spacecraft designers wish to locate the two RTGs in close proximity to each other, resulting in mutual and unsymmetrical obstruction of their heat rejection paths. To support JPL's design studies, the U.S. Department of Energy asked Fairchild to determine the effect of the RTGs' proximity on their power output. As described in the paper, this required the development of novel analysis methods and computer codes for the coupled thermal and electrical analysis of obstructed RTGs with axial and circumferential temperature, voltage, and current variations. The code was validated against measured data of unobstructed RTG tests, and was used for the detailed analysis of the obstructed CRAF and Cassini RTGs. Also described is a new method for predicting the combined effect of fuel decay and thermoelectric degradation on the output of obstructed RTGs, which amounts for the effect of diminishing temperatures on degradation rates. For the 24-degree separation angle of JPL's original baseline design, and for the 35-degree RTG separation of JPL's revised design, the computed results indicate that the mutually obstructed GPHS/RTGs with standard fuel loading and operating temperatures can comfortably meet the JPL-specified power requirements for the CRAF mission and almost meet the specified requirements for the Cassini mission