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Technical Paper

Conceptual Design of a Solar Powered Heat Pump for Lunar Base Thermal Control System

1996-07-01
961535
When permanent bases are established on the moon, various methods may be employed to reject the heat generated by the base. One proposed concept is the use of a heat pump operating with a vertical, flow-through thermal radiator which is mounted on a Space Station type habitation module. Since the temperature of the lunar surface varies over the lunar day, the sink temperature for heat pump heat rejection will vary. As a result, the heat pump power demand will also vary over the lunar day. This variable power requirement could be provided by a fixed horizontal solar photovoltaic (PV) array placed on the lunar surface, since its power production will vary sinusoidally with the time of day. Using a dedicated PV array to power the heat pump may represent a favorable mass trade-off compared to enlarging the size of the base's central power grid due to power system simplification and improvements in efficiency.
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