Thermionic systems for DOD missions
- Rockewell International, Rocketdyne Division, 6633 Canoga Ave., Canoga Park, California (USA)
- General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, California (USA)
This paper summarizes the evaluations of candidate thermionic systems that led to the designs being jointly proposed and studied by Rockwell and General Atomics (GA) in the FY 1990--1991 Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL) thermionics system design program. Six uniquely different thermionic concepts were evaluated that encompassed thermionic fuel element (FTE)-based concepts, pumped loop designs, heat-pipe cooled designs, fast and moderated spectrum approaches, and a derivative of the Russian TOPAZ concept. The concepts were compared relative to their ability to satisfy specific AFWL requirements over the 10- to 100-kWe range. The evaluation led to the Rockwell/GA selection of three concepts that could best meet the Air Force requirements: STAR-C, a fast driver pumped loop TFE design, and a fast driver pumped loop TFE design, and a fast driver heat--pipe cooled TEF reactor.
- OSTI ID:
- 5350762
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-910116--
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States) Vol. 217:3; ISSN 0094-243X; ISSN APCPC
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
300402* -- Thermionic Converters-- Performance & Testing
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COOLING SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EVALUATION
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAT PIPES
HYDRIDE MODERATED REACTORS
MOBILE REACTORS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
THERMIONIC FUEL ELEMENTS
THERMIONIC REACTORS
TOPAZ REACTOR