Space-reactor electric systems: subsystem technology assessment

Anderson, R. V.; Bost, D.S.; Determan, W.R.

doi:10.2172/6212984

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…There is an extensive report from 1983 that contains a number of relevant and interesting elements (Anderson et al, 1983). It indicates that Rockwell have deployed a dual 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' approach to their technology roadmapping -a decade before the BP publication (Barker and Smith, 1995).…”

Section: Rockwell Internationalmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Technology roadmapping: Industrial roots, forgotten history and unknown origins

Kerr

Phaal

2020

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

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Section: Rockwell Internationalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But the archives do show that Rockwell already had some really good roadmapping practices and tools a decade earlier. (Anderson et al, 1983).…”

Section: Rockwell Internationalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology roadmapping: Industrial roots, forgotten history and unknown origins

Kerr

Phaal

2020

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

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“…The use of UZrH as fuel allows for the inclusion of hydrogen in a reactor core while still permitting operating at relatively high fuel temperatures (up to 750 C). The SNAP-10a reactor, the only US reactor that has flown in space, used this fuel type (Johnson 1967& Anderson 1983. Because one of the purposes of this report is to identify reactor subsystems having minimum mass and to explore the possible mass reductions that one might achieve by replacing U-235 with U-233 or even Cm-245, we have restricted our investigations to ZrH dispersion fuels placed in stainless steel fuel pins.…”

Section: Configuration Of Uzrh Pin Type Reactorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mass estimates of very small reactor cores fueled by Uranium-235, U-233 and Cm-245

Wright¹,

Lipinski²

2001

AIP Conference Proceedings

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Abstract. This paper explores the possibility of manufacturing very small reactors from U-235, U-233 and Cm-245. Pin type reactor systems fueled with uranium or curium metal zirconium hydride (UZrH or CmZrH) are compared with similar designs using U-235. Criticality measurements of homogeneous water uranium systems, suggest that reactor subsystem masses have a broad minimum for hydrogen-to-uranium atom ratios that vary from 25-250. 'IMs paper compares the masses of metal-hydride fueled reactor systems that use U-235, U-233, and Cm-245 fuel with hydrogen-to-metal atom ratios from 20-300 when cooled by gas (HeXe), liquid metal (Na), and water. The results indicate that water cooled reactors in general have the smallest reactor subsytem mass. For gas and liquid-metal cooled reactors U-233 subsystems have total masses that are about % those of similarly designed U-235 fuel reactors. Reactor subsystems consisting of 11.2 % enriched Cm-245 (balance Cm-244) that can be obtained from fuel reprocessing have system masses comparable to that of U-233. The smallest reactor subsystem masses were on the order of 60-80 kg for U-233 fueled watercooled reactors.

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“…The SNAP program flew one space reactor in 1965 and built six other working reactors during the program. All of these used IJZrH fuel with a NaK coolant (Anderson, 1983). The subsequent SP-1OO program designed a reactor which used UN fuel with a Li coolant (Mondc 1994;Mondt, 1995;E1-Genk, 1994).…”

Section: Tug Designsmentioning

confidence: 99%

NEP for a Kuiper Belt Object rendezvous mission

Lipinski¹,

Lenard²,

Wright³

et al. 2000

AIP Conference Proceedings

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3Los Alamos National Luborato~, i% Alamos, NM 87545, poston@lanl.gov AbstracL Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOS) are a recently-discovered set of solar system bodies which lie at about the orbit of Pluto (40 AU) out to about 100 astronomical units (AU). There are estimated to be about 100,000 KBOS with a diameter greater than 100 km. KBOS are postulated to be composed of the pristine material which formed our solar system and may even have organic materials in them. A detailed study of KBO size, orbit distribution, structure, and surface composition could shed light on the origins of the solar system and perhaps even on the origin of life in our solar system. A rendezvous mission including a lander would be needed to perform chemical analysis of the surface and sub-surface composition of KBOS. These requirements set the size of the science probe at around a ton. Mission analyses show that a fission-powered system with an electric thruster could rendezvous at 40 AU in about 13.0 years with a total AV of 46 krnk. It would deliver a 1000-kg science payload while providing ample onboard power for relaying data back to earth. The launch mass of the entire system (power, thrusters, propellant, navigation, communication, structure, science payload, etc.) would be 7984 kg if it were placed into an earth-escape trajectory (C=O). Alternatively, the system could be placed into a 700-kmearth orbit with morepropellant,yieldinga total mass in LEO of 8618 kg, and then spiral out of earth orbit to arrive at the KBO in 14.3 years. To achieve this performance, a fission power system with 100 kW of electrical power and "atotal mass (reactor, shield, conversion, and radiator) of about 2350 kg. Three possible configurations are proposed: (1) a UZrH-fueled, NaK-cooled reactor with a steam Rankine conversion system, (2) a UN-fueled gas-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system, and (3) a UN-fueled heatpipe-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system. (Boiling and condensation in the Rankine system is a technical risk at present.) All three of these systems have the potential to meet the weight requirement for the trip and to be built in the near term.

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Space-reactor electric systems: subsystem technology assessment

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Technology roadmapping: Industrial roots, forgotten history and unknown origins

Technology roadmapping: Industrial roots, forgotten history and unknown origins

Mass estimates of very small reactor cores fueled by Uranium-235, U-233 and Cm-245

NEP for a Kuiper Belt Object rendezvous mission

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