NEBA-3 pin and cermet hybrid bimodal reactor

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:187030

Weitzberg, A ^[1]; Josloff, A T ^[2]; Mondt, J F ^[3]

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1. NUS Corp., Gaithersburg, MD (United States)
2. Martin Marietta Astro Space, King of Prussia, PA (United States)
3. Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (United States)

Early in 1994 a bimodal (power and propulsion) reactor concept that made use of two different fuel types was identified. UN pin fuel was selected for long lifetime to produce electricity, and UO{sub 2}-W cermet was selected for short-time high-temperature propulsion. During the last year the concept has been refined and analyzed as part of the DOE contribution to the joint Air Force Phillips Laboratory-Department of Energy Bimodal Program. With the exception of refractory metal vacuum gaps between the components containing hydrogen propellant and the refractory metal components containing lithium, and high temperature liquid metal-gas heat exchangers, the concept identified as Nuclear Engine for Bimodal Applications (NEBA)-3 uses previously developed and demonstrated technologies, including high efficiency closed Brayton cycle turboalternator-compressors for power production. Using near-term technology NEBA-3 can, as an upper stage to an Atlas IIAS launch vehicle, provide propulsion with specific impulse of about 850 seconds at thrusts of 90 to 925 Newtons, and 10 kilowatts of electricity for ten years. Based on previous cost estimates by DOE and NASA, a minimum program could deliver a flight system such as NEBA-3 within six years at a cost of from $500 to $700 million. The US space reactor power and propulsion community now has the technical capability to deliver such a system early in the next century.

• DOE Contract Number: AC01-92NE32162; AC03-89SF17787; AI03-86SF16013
• OSTI ID: 187030
• Report Number(s): CONF-950729--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
BRAYTON CYCLE
COST ESTIMATION
DESIGN
FUEL PINS
HYDRAULICS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
PERFORMANCE
SPACE POWER REACTORS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION
TUNGSTEN ALLOYS
URANIUM NITRIDES
URANIUM OXIDES