Analysis of promising spacecraft solar cell designs

Abstract

The paper presents results of computing power over initial volume, power over mass, specific mass, and other fundamental absolute and relative performance characteristics for various types of existing and promising solar batteries to be used in spacecraft. We describe photosensitive electric generating parts of solar batteries and propose to classify them according to the following features: type of photovoltaic converters used; the way that photovoltaic converters are protected from outer space factors; component switching implementation, etc. We consider different framework types, such as rigid and framed with flexible skin. We show that specific characteristics of domestic stringed frames (developed by JSC ISS — Reshetnev Company) are comparable to those of solid (rigid) frames produced by foreign companies. Moreover, the parameters under consideration as found in experimental integral structures or honeycomb frames (developed in Keldysh Research Centre), which have a low structural depth, exceed those by several times. The paper shows that solar batteries featuring photosensitive electric generating parts utilising four-stage photovoltaic converters based on AIIIBV materials boast the best specific power characteristics over mass and initial volume for any framework type, as well as the least degradation due to radiation exposure in the geostationary orbit. In the range of photosensitive electric generating parts featuring various three-stage photovoltaic converters, those that use standard 80 × 80 mm photovoltaic converters achieve the highest performance in terms of these parameters for stringed and honeycomb frames. JSC Research Production Enterprise Kvant supplies this type to the domestic market.