Preliminary study of impact of fuel options on performance of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) concepts

Ludewig, H.; Todosow, M.; Montanez, P.; Bezler, P.

doi:10.1063/1.1449840

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Many recent comparisons between CERMET, graphite, graphite-composite, and carbide reactor fuels for manned Mars missions concluded that CERMET shows the most promise based on better hydrogen corrosion resistance, higher resistance to thermal stress, lower weight, and lower development costs than carbide fuel [51]- [54].…”

Section: Ceramic-metallic (Cermet) Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

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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.

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Section: Ceramic-metallic (Cermet) Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%