Fig. 6. Laser-SPS system chain efficiencies. EDLs, respectively, for propagation to 0.5-km-elevation receptor sites. For mountaintop receptor sites, the laser-SPS system efficiency improves to about 16% for the CO EDL, whereas only a very small improvement is realized for the CO2 EDL. These values consider seasonal variation in the transmission efficiency. Furthermore, all laser-SPS systems studies, including this one, project smaller total system specific masses (laser system mass per unit radiant output power) for the CO EDL compared with the CO2 EDL. For these two reasons, we have chosen the CO EDL laser as the baseline system for the environmental impact studies. Various receptor conversion schemes were examined and the boiler heat engine concept, either with or without the use of an energy exchanger, was chosen for integration into the concept design, consistent with the utilization of near-term technology in the overall concept. The efficiency chain of a single transmitting laser system is shown in Figure 6. Each laser transmitter chain will contain two sub-chains. The electric discharge will require a total power given by PPS, while the gas compressor power requirement is designated by PCflec. The initial system design utilizes a total of 20 laser transmitters, each radiating power levels of PL = 109.8 MW. Each is separately pointed and can be switched in or out of the system as circumstances warrant. The receptor efficiency includes the thermodynamic efficiency of the electrical generating plant and losses of incoming laser radiation at the absorbing surface. A wire loss, t, of 2% per chain is assumed. The efficiencies of each component of the laser-SPS system are subject to modification as refined data or calculations become available. It is assumed that 9.4 GW is available at the rings, which is divided equally between 20 independent laser systems. Efficiencies used in the calculations are = 0.50, = 0.2337, = 0.8950, and tqps = 0.9323. These values apply to a two-heatexchanger thermodynamic cycle employing a subsonic diffuser. The plenum stagnation temperature, LH, and Mach number, M,, were chosen to be consistent with the
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