Model of a nuclear thermal test pipe using ATHENA
Abstract
Nuclear thermal propulsion offers significant improvements in rocket engine specific impulse over rockets employing chemical propulsion. The computer code ATHENA (Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Energy Network Analyzer) was used in a parametric analysis of a fuelpipe. The fuelpipe is an annular particle bed fuel element of the reactor with radially inward flow of hydrogen through it. The outlet temperature of the hydrogen is parametrically related to key effects, including the effect of reactor power at two different pressure drops, the effect of the power coupling factor of the Annular Core Research Reactor, and the effect of hydrogen flow. Results show that the outlet temperature is linearly related to the reactor power and nonlinearly to the change in pressure drop. The linear relationship at higher temperatures is probably not valid due to dissociation of hydrogen. Once thermal properties of hydrogen become available, the ATHENA model for this study could easily be modified to test this conjecture.
- Authors:
-
- Air Force Inst. of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy
- OSTI Identifier:
- 307935
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/SF/17799-T2; AFIT/GNE/ENP-92M-2
ON: DE99001602; TRN: AHC29905%%112
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI03-88SF17799
- Resource Type:
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Thesis (M.S.); PBD: Mar 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 21 NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 99 MATHEMATICS, COMPUTERS, INFORMATION SCIENCE, MANAGEMENT, LAW, MISCELLANEOUS; ROCKET ENGINES; SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS; A CODES; PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS; FUEL PINS; HEAT TRANSFER; HYDRAULICS; PEBBLE BED REACTORS; ANNULAR SPACE; HYDROGEN; NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
Citation Formats
Dibben, Mark J. Model of a nuclear thermal test pipe using ATHENA. United States: N. p., 1992.
Web. doi:10.2172/307935.
Dibben, Mark J. Model of a nuclear thermal test pipe using ATHENA. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/307935
Dibben, Mark J. 1992.
"Model of a nuclear thermal test pipe using ATHENA". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/307935. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/307935.
@article{osti_307935,
title = {Model of a nuclear thermal test pipe using ATHENA},
author = {Dibben, Mark J.},
abstractNote = {Nuclear thermal propulsion offers significant improvements in rocket engine specific impulse over rockets employing chemical propulsion. The computer code ATHENA (Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Energy Network Analyzer) was used in a parametric analysis of a fuelpipe. The fuelpipe is an annular particle bed fuel element of the reactor with radially inward flow of hydrogen through it. The outlet temperature of the hydrogen is parametrically related to key effects, including the effect of reactor power at two different pressure drops, the effect of the power coupling factor of the Annular Core Research Reactor, and the effect of hydrogen flow. Results show that the outlet temperature is linearly related to the reactor power and nonlinearly to the change in pressure drop. The linear relationship at higher temperatures is probably not valid due to dissociation of hydrogen. Once thermal properties of hydrogen become available, the ATHENA model for this study could easily be modified to test this conjecture.},
doi = {10.2172/307935},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/307935},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}