Helium Used in Chinese Stirling Thermoelectric Converters
- AKAP
- Apr 6, 2023
- 1 min read
China is testing a free-piston Stirling thermoelectric converter on its Shenzhou-15 mission crew aboard the China Space Station (CSS) which marks the first time China has verified this type of technology in orbit. This technology has the potential to provide crucial backup energy to deep space missions, and it works by using a piston set in motion by heat generated by a fuel source. The piston is then suspended in a helium gas bearing to prevent physical wear, allowing it to generate an electrical current as it moves a magnet back and forth through a coil of wire.
