Compact and efficient source of electrical power from heat for hypersonic vehicles

Initially developed at MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology, Mesodyne’s ultra-high energy density, efficient, silent, reliable Light-Cell power generators convert fuel to electricity via light achieving energy densities of 1000-2000 Wh/kg. Mesodyne’s Light-Cell generator is significantly more efficient than traditional thermophotovoltaics because the light emitted by the nanophotonic material that nearly perfectly matches what the PV cell can convert into electricity and the founders demonstrated the world record efficiency for this type of energy conversion in 2017 during their PhDs at MIT. In this Phase I effort we propose to adapt our Light-Cell generator to hypersonic vehicles by replacing the heat source with the exterior skin of the vehicle, which reaches 800-1500°C from aerodynamic heating. Waste heat will be rejected to a cold reservoir rather than ambient. In order to better understand the customer requirements and capability needs, we will connect with stakeholders at AFRL. We will validate the adaptations needed to go from the current product to a hypersonic vehicle power source and validate the customer’s constraints in terms of operational temperatures, SWAP-C etc. We will evaluate our technical claims through rigorous system modeling.