Nutherm: A small thermionic nuclear power source
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., P.O. Box 158, Madison, Pennsylvania 15663 (United States)
- McDonnell Douglas Space System Company, 5301 Bolsa Avenue, Huntington Beach, California 92647 (United States)
- Thermacore, Inc., 780 Eden Road, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601 (United States)
NUTHERM is a 40 kWe space nuclear thermionic power supply with a design life of ten full power years. Thermionic conversion is achieved by Thermionic Heat Pipe Modules (THPM's) located in a central cylindrical channel in each fuel assembly. Heat is transferred by thermal radiation from the fuel to the tungsten emitter and is removed by the molybdenum heat pipe, which also acts as the current collector. The core consists of 61 prismatic graphite-UC (ZrC coated) fuel assemblies. Fifty-seven fuel assemblies carry the THPM's and four contain shutdown rods to prevent criticality in case of reentry and water immersion. A moveable beryllium reflector, which is split in the center with independent electric motor drives for each section, provides reactivity control. The payload is shielded by an optimized, conical, multilayer shield consisting of lithium hydride, boron carbide, stainless steel, and tungsten.
- OSTI ID:
- 5661062
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930103-; CODEN: APCPCS
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 271:2; 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
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Related Subjects
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
SPACE POWER REACTORS
THERMIONIC REACTORS
DESIGN
HEAT PIPES
NEUTRON REFLECTORS
RADIATORS
REACTOR CORES
SERVICE LIFE
SHIELDS
THERMIONIC CONVERTERS
THERMIONIC FUEL ELEMENTS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
LIFETIME
MOBILE REACTORS
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable
300401 - Thermionic Converters- Design & Development