General-purpose heat source development: Safety Verification Test Program. Titanium bullet/fragment test series
Abstract
The radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) that will provide power for the Galileo and Ulysses space missions contains 18 General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules. Each module contains four /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/-fueled clads and generates 250 W(t). Because the possibility of launch-pad or postlaunch explosion exists and because any explosion would generate a field of high-energy fragments, the fueled clads within each GPHS module must be able to survive fragment impact. In this test series we investigated the response of bare, simulant-fueled (UO/sub 2/) clads to the impact of high-energy titanium alloy fragments. We determined that 425m/s is the threshold impact velocity of a 3.25-g titanium bullet that will cause direct mechanical failure of a bare fueled clad. 40 figs.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 5439641
- Report Number(s):
- LA-10724-MS
ON: DE86013086
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES; 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCES; SAFETY; TESTING; SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES; THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS; CRACKS; FUEL CANS; IMPACT TESTS; PLUTONIUM 238; PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE; TITANIUM ALLOYS; URANIUM DIOXIDE; ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALLOYS; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CHALCOGENIDES; DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS; ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; HEAT SOURCES; HEAVY NUCLEI; ISOTOPES; MATERIALS TESTING; MECHANICAL TESTS; NUCLEI; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES; PLUTONIUM OXIDES; POWER SUPPLIES; RADIOISOTOPES; TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS; URANIUM COMPOUNDS; URANIUM OXIDES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems; 070300* - Isotopic Power Supplies; 210600 - Power Reactors, Auxiliary, Mobile Package, & Transportable
Citation Formats
George, T G. General-purpose heat source development: Safety Verification Test Program. Titanium bullet/fragment test series. United States: N. p., 1986.
Web. doi:10.2172/5439641.
George, T G. General-purpose heat source development: Safety Verification Test Program. Titanium bullet/fragment test series. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/5439641
George, T G. 1986.
"General-purpose heat source development: Safety Verification Test Program. Titanium bullet/fragment test series". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/5439641. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5439641.
@article{osti_5439641,
title = {General-purpose heat source development: Safety Verification Test Program. Titanium bullet/fragment test series},
author = {George, T G},
abstractNote = {The radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) that will provide power for the Galileo and Ulysses space missions contains 18 General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules. Each module contains four /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/-fueled clads and generates 250 W(t). Because the possibility of launch-pad or postlaunch explosion exists and because any explosion would generate a field of high-energy fragments, the fueled clads within each GPHS module must be able to survive fragment impact. In this test series we investigated the response of bare, simulant-fueled (UO/sub 2/) clads to the impact of high-energy titanium alloy fragments. We determined that 425m/s is the threshold impact velocity of a 3.25-g titanium bullet that will cause direct mechanical failure of a bare fueled clad. 40 figs.},
doi = {10.2172/5439641},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5439641},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986},
month = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986}
}