RU2671600C1 - Method of ground environment of spacecraft power supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: astronautics; test technology.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to spacecraft power supply ground electrical tests. Method consists in carrying out the charge and discharge of batteries with active temperature control and control of the temperature of the standard batteries and in storing them without temperature control. Initially, matching units (dimensional mockups) of batteries simulators are installed on the seats of the standard batteries. On the body of each unit input and output electrical connectors are mounted corresponding to the batteries connectors. Output connectors of all units are connected to the onboard cable network, and the input connectors are connected through technological and ground cable networks to the batteries simulators. Upon completion of the ground tests, the specified alignment units, cable networks and batteries simulators are dismantled. Regular batteries are mounted on the thermal boards of the thermal control system, forming a standard configuration of a power supply system.EFFECT: technical result is the preservation of resource characteristics and higher reliability of operation of various types of batteries at different stages of their life cycle.1 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the electrical industry and can be used when conducting ground tests of spacecraft (SC) at the manufacturing plant (SC) of the SC or at the technical complex (TC) in the operating organization (EO).

The operation of rechargeable batteries in the process of conducting ground-based electrical tests of the power supply system (SES) is associated with certain technical problems, which are usually not critical during their normal operation as part of the SES spacecraft. In this regard, there is a need to develop and implement additional measures to improve the method of operating the AB during ground tests (NR), which allows, first of all, to maintain at a given level indicators of the resource and reliability of the operation of the solar cells.

As is known, due to the significant heat release of the AB during the discharge or charge, their constant temperature control is required. With the regular functioning of the spacecraft, this problem is solved by using a thermal regulation system (STR), which includes special thermal boards with liquid coolant for cooling the AB (Kirilin A.N., Akhmetov R.N., Storozh A.D., Anshakov G.P. Space apparatus engineering, State Research and Production Rocket and Space Center “TsSKB-Progress”, Samara, 2011, section 8).

However, thermostating of rechargeable batteries in the process of NR of the power supply system in the spacecraft is associated with some difficulties. One of the reasons for this is that with NI AB with a certain ratio of the temperature of the coolant, on the one hand, the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, on the other hand, condensation (moisture) can form on the outer surface of the thermal cards with the ensuing negative consequences.

When planning a NECS as part of a spacecraft, it is necessary to take into account another feature, namely the experimentally established fact that during the transition from the charge or discharge mode to the storage mode, the electrochemical processes in the batteries do not stop and their intensity decreases only after some time has passed. Such processes, for example, in nickel-hydrogen storage batteries (NVAB), include the recombination of oxygen and hydrogen partially released in the final phases of the charge and discharge and the continuous process of battery self-discharge (BC Bagotsky, AM Skundin. Chemical current sources, M., Energoizdat , 1981). For other types of AB, other processes may be characteristic. Ultimately, all of them contribute to the local overheating of individual batteries, despite the fact that at this time they are disconnected from the charge-discharge cycle. Local overheating of batteries is inevitable even if they are included in the charge-discharge cycle without preliminary cooling. This issue is especially relevant if the ambient temperature significantly exceeds the nominal operating temperature of the battery, equal to approximately 15 ° C.

In addition, it should be borne in mind that in the case of operation of rechargeable batteries in the spacecraft by actively cooling them with a temperature control system (CTP), when the tests are organized as a continuous process, there is an unjustified consumption of the battery itself and the CTP. And if there are interruptions in the work with turning off the power supply system of the spacecraft and the STR, then such a test cycle, as noted above, is fraught with local overheating of the batteries, ultimately leading to a decrease in the reliability of battery operation.

There is a method of operating batteries in a spacecraft according to RF patent No. 2148889 (analogue), which consists in the fact that to simplify the technology of ground tests, as well as improve the life characteristics of the STR and BOT on the bottom of each battery, a monoblock thermal plate is fixed with it, nodes fastening the monoblock to the design of the aggregate compartment is made in the housing of each battery, and in the thermal plate of each monoblock there are additional hydraulic channels interconnected by pipelines, at om said channels and conduits to form an open line standalone.

In this technical solution, to improve the resource characteristics of the STR and BOT, an additional technological cooling circuit of the battery is used. In this case, the circulation of the coolant is carried out by ground-based means to ensure the thermal regime (LHWP) of the spacecraft. The disadvantages of the analogue include:

- the presence of the probability of formation of condensate on the surface of the housing with the ensuing consequences;

- local overheating of batteries;

- unjustified consumption of battery life.

In general, these shortcomings reduce the reliability of the BOT.

A known method of operating a nickel-hydrogen storage battery according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2329572 (prototype), which consists in carrying out charges and discharges with active temperature control and temperature control of the batteries and storage in a charged or discharged state without conducting active thermostating; continuing its temperature control at the end of the charge or discharge of the battery before storage for at least 1.5 hours from the end of the charge or discharge.

The disadvantage of this method is that in the process of ground tests using standard batteries, therefore, there is an unjustified consumption of battery life and the likelihood of condensation on the surface of the thermal boards is preserved, which reduces the reliability of the solar cells during its normal operation.

The above disadvantages are characteristic of other types of batteries, for example, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries (LIAB), which are promising for the use of modern spacecraft with a long active life in the solar cell.

The objective of the proposed invention is the preservation of resource characteristics and improving the reliability of operation of various types of batteries SEC KA at the stage of conducting NO SEP ZI KA or TK in EO.

The problem is achieved in that in the method of ground-based operation of the power supply system (BOT) of a spacecraft (SC), which consists in carrying out a charge and discharge with active thermostating and temperature control of standard batteries (AB) and storing them in a charged or discharged state without conducting an active thermostating, on the seats of regular ABs install one block of approval of the simulator (BSI), which is a dimensional layout of AB; on the case of each BSI mount the input electrical connectors that are interconnected and repeat in number and type of AB connectors; moreover, the output connectors of all BSI are connected to the corresponding connectors of the onboard cable network; and the input connectors of the BSI are connected to the electrical connectors of battery simulators (IAB) located on a stand-alone stand using the technological cable network (TBKS) and the terrestrial cable network (NKS); after completion of ground tests, BSI, TBKS, NKS, IAB are dismantled for the subsequent installation of standard batteries on the thermal boards of the temperature control system with the formation of the standard configuration of the solar cells.

In FIG. Figure 1 shows: the components of the BOT (regulation and control automatics (ARC), photoelectric battery (BF), BSI simulator matching units (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N, N - number of simulator matching units), on-board cable network (BCS) Technological Cable Network (TBKS)); the layout of the components of the BOT on the spacecraft in the configuration necessary for carrying out the BOT on the spacecraft or on the TC in the EA.

In FIG. Figure 2 shows a schematic electrical diagram of the connection to the BOT of the battery simulators IAB (IAB-1, ..., IAB-N) located outside the spacecraft on a special stand.

The power supply system is placed on the spacecraft (see Fig. 1), consisting, for example, of the compartment of the target equipment 1, instrument compartment 2 and aggregate compartment 3. Automation of regulation and control (ARC) 4 is installed in (on) the instrument compartment 2. On the place of the standard batteries is mounted by the corresponding matching units of the BSI simulators (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5, and they are fixed, for example, to the case of the aggregate compartment 3 through the standard attachment points 6, which use standard thermal boards (TP) of the temperature control system KA. Thermal boards TP (TP-1, ..., TP-N) 6 are interconnected by main pipelines 7 to form a standard temperature control loop. To connect battery simulators to ARC 4, a technological cable network (TBKS) 8 is used, located between the IAB with the terrestrial cable network (NKS) 14 and the coordination units of BSI simulators (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5. On the body of each BSI input connectors 15 and output connectors 16 are installed, which are respectively docked with TBKS 8 connectors and BKS 9 connectors. Connectors 16 are identical (in type and quantity) to standard AB connectors, and the input and output connectors are electrically connected to each other. The on-board onboard cable network (BCS) 9, which connects the standard batteries to the ARC 4 for the normal operation of the BOTs, is used in the NI process by using the appropriate BSI simulator matching units (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5. It should be noted that the matching blocks simulators are dimensional hollow models of standard batteries and do not emit heat, and therefore do not require temperature control. In addition, the overall dimensions of the alignment blocks of the BSI simulators (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5 are chosen almost coincident with the dimensions of the standard batteries, which simplifies: the technology of mounting (dismounting) the IBS, the operation of replacing the BSI with a standard battery, using a standard BCS 9 for NES SEP. The use of standard thermal boards ТП (ТП-1, ..., ТП-N) 6 as attachment points for BSI simulator matching units (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5 is also aimed at simplifying the technology of assembly and disassembly operations. The photoelectric battery 10 is disconnected for the time of ground tests from the SES, while the function of the standard BF 10 is performed by the BF simulator (in Fig. 1, the BF simulator is not shown). The BF simulator is also used as a ground power source for AB charge after they are installed on standard TP thermal cards (TP-1, ..., TP-N) 6. Electrical connection of the BF simulator with ARC 4 is carried out through standard electrical connectors 11 of BCS 9.

At stand 12 (see Fig. 2) installed outside the spacecraft, IAB battery simulators (IAB-1, ..., IAB-N) 13 are placed, which are connected to the other components of the BOT through the coordination units of the BSI simulators (BSI-1, ... , BSI-N) 5 using NKS 14, TBKS 8 and BKS 9 (see Fig. 1). IAB simulators (IAB-1, ..., IAB-N) 13, although they are heat sources, however, due to their high efficiency, they do not require temperature control, which is their significant advantage over standard batteries.

When using the proposed technical solution, the operation of the battery during the implementation of NES BOT on the spacecraft spacecraft or in the fuel cell in the EA is significantly simplified, since the batteries are transferred to storage mode. At the same time, self-discharge of their batteries is possible, therefore, carrying out a battery charge from a ground-based power source (or a BF simulator) after installing the battery on standard thermal cards is a mandatory operation. In the storage mode, as a rule, thermostating of standard batteries is not applied, especially with the use of thermal boards with a liquid coolant, therefore, the problem of protecting the batteries from possible corrosion of its elements and local overheating does not arise.

Installing and using instead of the standard batteries for the time of conducting their electronic simulators allows you to save the resource characteristics of the EPA as a whole, and the coordination blocks of BSI simulators (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5, which do not contain heat sources, do not require as noted above, thermostating. Consequently, the standard thermal boards TP (TP-1, ..., TP-N) 6 can only be used to fix the matching blocks of BSI simulators (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5, due to which unjustified does not occur during ground tests STR resource consumption, since TP thermal cards (TP-1, ..., TP-N) 6 do not function properly at this time. At the same time, the use of matching blocks of BSI simulators (BSI-1, ..., BSI-N) 5 allows you to use a full-time BCS for its intended purpose and to verify experimentally the correctness of the circuit design of the EPA as a whole.

In the process of conducting ground-based tests of the BOT as part of the spacecraft, variants are possible when the tests are performed in a different configuration of the BOT, therefore, in the case of a transition from the configuration of the BOT using standard AAs to the configuration using IAB and BSI instead of AB, the sequence of operations described above is repeated. A similar option arises, for example, after the completion of an NI at the spacecraft spacecraft and before the start of the NI at the spacecraft in the EA, since the standard batteries are transported to the EA in the spacecraft.

Thus, the application of the proposed method of operating batteries allows preserving the resource characteristics and improving the reliability of operation of various types of batteries of the spacecraft’s power supply system at the stage of conducting ground-based tests of the solar cells at the spacecraft manufacturer or technical complex in the operating organization.

Claims (1)

The method of ground-based operation of storage batteries of the spacecraft’s power supply system, which consists in the fact that the charge and discharge are carried out with active temperature control and temperature control of standard batteries (AB) and store them in a charged or discharged state without active temperature control, characterized in that for landing the places of the standard batteries are installed in one block of approval of the simulator (BSI) of the battery, which is the overall layout of the batteries, and paired devices are mounted on the case of each BSI I am waiting for input and repeating in terms of quantity and type of AB connectors output electrical connectors, and the output connectors of all BSIs are connected to the corresponding connectors of the onboard cable network, and the BSI input connectors are connected to the electrical connectors of the AB simulators located on a separate stand, using a technological cable network and ground cable network, and after completion of ground tests BSI technological and ground cable networks, battery simulators are dismantled for subsequent installation anovki regular AB on termoplaty thermal control system to form a standard configuration of the power supply system.

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