Zero Boil-Off System Design and Thermal Analysis of the Bimodal Thermal Nuclear Rocket
- ZinTechnologies, 2001 Aerospace Parkway, Brook Park, OH 44142 (United States)
- NASA Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135 (United States)
Mars exploration studies at NASA are evaluating vehicles that incorporate Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket (BNTR) propulsion which use a high temperature nuclear fission reactor and hydrogen to produce thermal propulsion. The hydrogen propellant is to be stored in liquid state for periods up to 18 months. To prevent boil-off of the liquid hydrogen, a system of passive and active components are needed to prevent heat from entering the tanks and to remove any heat that does. This report describes the design of the system components used for the BNTR Crew Transfer Vehicle and the thermal analysis performed. The results show that Zero Boil-Off (ZBO) can be achieved with the electrical power allocated for the ZBO system.
- OSTI ID:
- 20798002
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 813, Issue 1; Conference: 10. conference on thermophysics applications in microgravity; 23. symposium on space nuclear power and propulsion; 4. conference on human/robotic technology and the national vision for space exploration; 4. symposium on space colonization; 3. symposium on new frontiers and future concepts, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 12-16 Feb 2006; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2169227; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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