Modeling dynamics of the spacecraft power plant consisting of Stirling engine and external thermal circuit

Abstract

Modern space programs cover a wide range of missions, including both near-earth missions and those affecting areas of deep space. In the second case, power plants based on the conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy are often considered for the power supply of spacecraft. One of the possible thermoelectric converters is the Stirling engine. To be able to design modern power plants of spacecraft built based on Stirling engines, it is necessary to use calculation tools to simulate their operation in a wide range of modes, to take into consideration the influence of subsystems on each other and the final characteristics of the power plant. As part of the work, a thermodynamic model of an external thermal circuit was created, consisting of heat pipes, heat exchangers and radiator cooler panels. The hot thermal circuit is consisted of two parts: primary and secondary, the cold thermal circuit is consisted of only one part. A mathematical model of the free-piston Stirling engine of the first order has been also implemented. The working fluid in the engine is helium. The developed models were independently debugged and then integrated into a single model of the power plant. For each type of model, the corresponding mathematical models are presented and the basic assumptions are described. The model is implemented in an open simulation environment of xcos/scilab, examples of power plant model implementation are presented. Numerical experiments were carried out to study the dynamics of the heating of the contour elements (with independent, and then with integrated modeling) and the effect of the non-stationary thermal state on the engine performance. The article presents the basic equations and the design schemes for the power plant model, as well as some results of numerical simulation, including the dynamics of hot and cold circuit temperature changes and the dynamics of changes in the indicator diagram of the engine when the external thermal circuit is heated. The developed model can be used in the early stages of spacecraft design for a preliminary assessment of the main indicators of the power plant, its dimensions and thermal loads.