Compressor and Turbine Models of Brayton Units for Space Nuclear Power Systems
- Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131 (United States)
Closed Brayton Cycles with centrifugal flow, single-shaft turbo-machines are being considered, with gas cooled nuclear reactors, to provide 10's to 100's of electrical power to support future space exploration missions and Lunar and Mars outposts. Such power system analysis is typically based on the cycle thermodynamics, for given operating pressures and temperatures and assumed polytropic efficiencies of the compressor and turbine of the Brayton energy conversion units. Thus the analysis results not suitable for modeling operation transients such as startup and changes in the electric load. To simulate these transients, accurate models of the turbine and compressor in the Brayton rotating unit, which calculate the changes in the compressor and turbine efficiencies with system operation are needed. This paper presents flow models that account for the design and dimensions of the compressor impeller and diffuser, and the turbine stator and rotor blades. These models calculate the various enthalpy losses and the polytropic efficiencies along with the pressure ratios of the turbine and compressor. The predictions of these models compare well with reported performance data of actual hardware. In addition, the results of a parametric analysis to map the operations of the compressor and turbine, as functions of the rotating shaft speed and inlet Mach number of the gas working fluid, are presented and discussed. The analysis used a binary mixture of He-Xe with a molecular weight of 40 g/mole as the working fluid.
- OSTI ID:
- 21054552
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 880; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BINARY MIXTURES
BRAYTON CYCLE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY CONVERSION
ENTHALPY
MACH NUMBER
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PERFORMANCE
POWER SYSTEMS
REACTOR OPERATION
SPACE
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
TURBINES
WORKING FLUIDS