Autonomous Control Capabilities for Space Reactor Power Systems
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory. P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6010 (United States)
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program, is investigating a possible Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) mission, which would conduct in-depth studies of three of the moons of Jupiter by using a space reactor power system (SRPS) to provide energy for propulsion and spacecraft power for more than a decade. Terrestrial nuclear power plants rely upon varying degrees of direct human control and interaction for operations and maintenance over a forty to sixty year lifetime. In contrast, an SRPS is intended to provide continuous, remote, unattended operation for up to fifteen years with no maintenance. Uncertainties, rare events, degradation, and communications delays with Earth are challenges that SRPS control must accommodate. Autonomous control is needed to address these challenges and optimize the reactor control design. In this paper, we describe an autonomous control concept for generic SRPS designs. The formulation of an autonomous control concept, which includes identification of high-level functional requirements and generation of a research and development plan for enabling technologies, is among the technical activities that are being conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy's Space Reactor Technology Program in support of the NASA's Project Prometheus. The findings from this program are intended to contribute to the successful realization of the JIMO mission.
- OSTI ID:
- 20632871
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 699; ISSN 0094-243X; ISSN APCPCS
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
CONTROL
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DATA TRANSMISSION
DESIGN
FISSION
LIFETIME
MAINTENANCE
NASA
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OPTIMIZATION
POWER SYSTEMS
REACTOR INSTRUMENTATION
REACTOR OPERATION
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
SPACE POWER REACTORS
SPACE VEHICLES