Design and Analysis of a 250 MW Plate-Fuel Reactor for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Conference · Mon Apr 06 00:00:00 EDT 2020

OSTI ID:1643924

Lin, Ching-Sheng ^[1]; Youinou, Gilles J ^[1]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) is a viable option for deep space missions due to its high thrust and lightweight system. Promising fuel options considered for the high operating temperature of NTP include graphite composite fuel and tungsten cermet fuel. As there remain uncertainties in the fabrication and performance of these two fuel elements, alternative designs using fuel plates and more typical fuels based on proven nuclear technologies are also being considered. This paper provides a summary of thermal hydraulic and neutronic analyses of the straight-plate fuel assembly design used for a 250 MW NTP core. The summary of technical findings from a series of scoping studies might be useful for future NTP engine designs.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Nuclear Energy
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1643924
• Report Number(s): INL/CON-20-57593-Rev000
• Conference Information: Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, Knoxville, 04/06/2020 - 04/09/2020
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
nuclear reactor core design
nuclear thermal propulsion