Venus Energy Converter

The primary goal is to demonstrate practical, functional power generation sources based on thermionic energy conversion (TEC) capable of operation at extreme temperature environments such as those found on the surface of Venus, propulsion systems and in Long-Lived In-Situ Solar System Explorer (LLISSE) missions. TEC provides an effective way of capturing the abundant source of heat energy found in environments such as Venus and LLISSE. TEC is analogous to solar/photovoltaic (PV) cells with temperature/heat being the energy source for TEC compared to light/optical being the energy source for PV. Unlike thermoelectrics which require and rely on a large temperature difference for operation, TEC can operate with a small or no temperature (isothermal) difference by judiciously using differences in thermionic work functions to convert temperature/heat to electrical energy. Recent advances in material science and nanotechnology as well as the understanding of the underlying physical processes form the basis for this proposed effort to develop Isothermal TECs. This Phase I effort focuses on identifying suitable materials for the creation of the extreme environment TECs and applying the use of integrated circuit, additive manufacturing, and Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology InnoSys has developed and is developing for, for example, extreme temperature transmitters for Venus to fabricate extreme temperature TECs. Small emitter to collector spacing and properly chosen emissive low work function cathodes and low emission collectors allow conversion of temperature/heat to relatively large electrical current densities at relatively high TEC conversion efficiencies with simple system integration of TECs. Extreme/harsh environment protective packaging will be used. Also, when coupled with sources of heat energy such as radioisotopes and integrated into General Purpose Heat Sources (GPHSs), TEC can be used for planetary and others missions including moon missions.

The surface of Venus is an hostile extreme environment that is ripe for NASA exploration. Venus hides a wealth of information that could help NASA better understand Earth and exoplanets. It is important to explore and investigate Venus to better understand and determine how an Earth-like planet can become and became an extreme hothouse. It is not just understanding the evolution of planets and habitability in our own solar system, but extending beyond these boundaries to exoplanets which is an exciting and emerging area of research for NASA. Potential NASA applications include practical functional long life thermionic energy converters (TECs) capable of extreme temperature operation and power conversion/generation for Venus and LLISSE. Additional potential applications include space missions such as solar system, planetary missions, missions to the Moon and aeronautical applications including isothermal heat/temperature to electrical energy conversion for hypersonic and other vehicles including propulsion systems and other NASA applications where excess/waste heat could be converted to useful electrical energy including exploratory systems, space and other systems where light is limited or unavailable to power solar cell arrays. Additional potential NASA applications include practical functional thermionic energy converters (TECs) capable of hypersonic extreme temperature operation. The applications of thermionic devices in hypersonic vehicles are numerous and broaden the design space, since the TECs are capable of electrical power generation compatible with realistic hardware implementation strategies. Once developed, there will be a family of rugged thermionic energy converters suitable for self-operating and generating power sources for extreme temperature operation including in space, airborne/aeronautical and terrestrial applications. Potential Non-NASA applications and market opportunities are numerous and include and involve applications where wasted heat can be used to convert/generate electrical power from the heat source and drive various electronics and other systems. Examples of applications for the Thermionic Energy Converters include geothermal exploration, oil and gas exploration, space and satellite systems, hypersonic vehicles and industrial operations and any operation, facility, process that generates lots of excess/wasted heat this also includes commercial, industrial and residential furnaces. These proposed Thermionic Energy Converters will open up new and additional market opportunities where wasted heat can be used to generate electrical power and drive various electronics/systems, for example, space communication systems that also employ thermionic emitters for operation. There are also applications for these proposed Thermionic Energy Converters for remote applications where heat is abundant and sunlight is not. The proposed family of rugged thermionic energy converters will be suitable for self-operating and generating power sources for extreme temperature operation including in commercial space, commercial satellite and commercial airborne/aeronautical/aerospace and commercial and industrial terrestrial applications as well as national defense and security applications, propulsion systems including for commercial aircraft and commercial rockets and private missions to Venus among a host of other applications. For example, Rocket Lab's Venus mission will be the first private mission to the planet. Rocket Lab is a USA company based in Long Beach, California NASA plays a role in helping commercial space endeavors succeed by providing expertise and also having the vision and insight to anticipate current and future extreme environment commercial space endeavor needs.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.