PARAMETERIZED POWER SATELLITE SYSTEMS DESIGN R. SPERBER and G. WOODCOCK Boeing Aerospace Company Seattle, Washington Abstract — Knowledge gained in detailed studies of power satellites allows the construction of reliable and simple parametric models for first order comparisons and evaluation. These techniques are illustrated in a comparison of several types of power satellites using both laser and microwave power transmission options. Of the laser power transmission power satellite systems, photovoltaic free electron lasers and optically pumped laser power satellites appear most attractive but still more massive and costly than microwave power transmission power satellites. In addition, relationships for sizing system power for minimum system total cost and for power-limited transmission links are developed. 1. INTRODUCTION In preliminary systems design it is often necessary to make fast (and somewhat rough) assumptions that approximately describe certain key parameters (like mass, cost, or size) of system components. Deciding what the assumptions should be and how to handle them is sort of a “grey art” which draws on the practitioner’s physical intuition and engineering experience. Nevertheless, the art is practiced because it is as powerful in terms of system design information per unit manhour invested as it is fuzzy about the detailed component design. This technique is frequently applied in preliminary systems analyses without benefit of a data base of detailed design or hardware experience. So used, it is subject to great uncertainty. It is much more useful where supported by a data base. Parametric methods, for example, can predict the weight of jetliner wings to accuracy better than 5%. This is, of course, an example of an exceptionally strong experience base. In the case of solar power satellites, a hardware experience base obviously does not exist. However, systems design and analysis studies have been conducted since about 1975. The data base from these can considerably reduce the uncertainties attendant to parametric methods. In this paper, the “grey art” of parameterization is used in two examples — a generalized microwave/laser power transmission solar power satellite (SPS) design comparison, and a discussion of power satellite sizing. The microwave/laser comparison employs an estimating factor approach, the simplest (and crudest) method. The sizing study uses a set of parametric design equations. 2. MICROWAVE/LASER POWER SATELLITE COMPARISON The use of radio frequency power beaming employing frequencies in microwave
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