Thermal-hydraulic analysis of an annular fuel element: The Achilles' heel of the particle bed reactor

Conference · Wed Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 1993 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.43047· OSTI ID:5588316

Dibben, M J; Tuttle, R F ^[1]

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1. Air Force Institute of Technology, Department of Engineering Physics, AFIT/ENP, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433 (United States)

The low pressure nuclear thermal propulsion (LPNTP) concept offers significant improvements in rocket engine specific impulse over rockets employment chemical propulsion. This study investigated a parametric thermal-hydraulic analysis of an annular fueld element, also referred to as a fuel pipe, using the computer code ATHENA (Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Energy Network Analyzer). The fuelpipe is an annular particle bed fuel element of the reactor with radially inward flow of hydrogen through the element. In this study, the outlet temperature of the hydrogen is parametrically related to key effects, including the reactor power at two different pressure drops, the effect of power coupling for in-core testing, and the effect of hydrogen flow rates. Results show that the temperature is linearly related to the reactor power, but not to pressure drop, and that cross flow inside the fuelpipe occurs at approximately 0.3 percent of the radial flow rates.

• OSTI ID: 5588316
• Report Number(s): CONF-930103-; CODEN: APCPCS
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 271:3; Conference: 10. symposium on space nuclear power and propulsion, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 10-14 Jan 1993; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
THERMAL ANALYSIS
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
PEBBLE BED REACTORS
A CODES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
FLOW RATE
GAS FLOW
HYDROGEN
POWER DENSITY
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
WORKING FLUIDS
COMPUTER CODES
ELEMENTS
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
MOBILE REACTORS
NONMETALS
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SIMULATION
SOLID HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable