NERVA-Derived Concept for a Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket

Fusselman, S.P.; Borowski, Stanley K.; Frye, Patrick; Gunn, S. V.; Morrison, Calvin

doi:10.1063/1.1867167

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The most recent DRM 4.0 studies have returned to a NERVA-derived BNTR system that uses the tie tubes to create a closed-loop Brayton cycle [22,45]. As such, those studies will form the basis for the second reference engine for this project.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This closed loop will generally use an inert gas working fluid in stead of hydrogen, in order to prevent corrosion of the reactor. Many past and present studies base the BNTR reactor on the material and geometry of the NERVA program in order to leverage the extensive research and development that has already been completed [19]- [22]. In such a system, the power cycle coolant only passes through reactor support elements called "tie tubes.…”

Section: Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocketsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second DRM case study is based on the only known BNTR study that actually assumes tie tube heating for the power mode and provides accompanying cycle component data [22]. Reference [22] provides component thermodynamic data for a 66.7 kN BNTR with a chamber temperature and pressure of 2560 K and 5.41…”

Section: Drm Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reference [22] provides component thermodynamic data for a 66.7 kN BNTR with a chamber temperature and pressure of 2560 K and 5.41…”

Section: Drm Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[22] assumes an electric power output of 37 kWe, turbine inlet temperature of 1150 K, and compressor and turbine efficiencies of 82% and 90%, respectively. Figure 6.8 shows the detailed componentlevel operating conditions for this design.…”

Section: Drm Case Study 2 -Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Integrated Propulsion and Power Modeling for Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rockets

Clough¹,

Starkey²,

Lewis³

et al. 2007

43rd AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference &Amp;amp; Exhibit

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Design point results show that a 316 MWt reactor produces a thrust and specific impulse of 66.6 kN and 917 s, respectively. The same reactor can be run at 73.8 kWt to produce the necessary 16.7 kW electric power with a Brayton cycle generator. This demonstrates the feasibility of BNTR operation with a NERVAderived reactor but also indicates that the reactor control system must be able to operate with precision across a wide power range, and that the transient analysis of reactor decay heat merits future investigation.Results also identify a significant reactor pressure-drop limitation during propulsion and power-generation operation that is caused by poor tie tube thermal conductivity. This leads to the conclusion that, while BNTR operation is possible with a NERVA-derived reactor, doing so requires careful consideration of the Brayton cycle design point and fuel element survivability.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocketsmentioning

confidence: 99%