Closed Brayton Cycle power system with a high temperature pellet bed reactor heat source for NEP applications
Capitalizing on past and future development of high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) technology, a low mass 15 MWe closed gas turbine cycle power system using a pellet bed reactor heating helium working fluid is proposed for Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) applications. Although the design of this directly coupled system architecture, comprising the reactor/power system/space radiator subsystems, is presented in conceptual form, sufficient detail is included to permit an assessment of overall system performance and mass. Furthermore, an attempt is made to show how tailoring of the main subsystem design characteristics can be utilized to achieve synergistic system level advantages that can lead to improved reliability and enhanced system life while reducing the number of parasitic load driven peripheral subsystems.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 6781501
- Report Number(s):
- N-93-14482; NASA-TM-105933; E-7446; NAS-1.15:105933; CONF-930103-; CNN: RTOP 590-13-11
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 10. symposium on space nuclear power and propulsion, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 10-14 Jan 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
DESIGN
ARCHITECTURE
BRAYTON CYCLE
GAS TURBINES
HEAT SOURCES
HELIUM
HTGR TYPE REACTORS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PELLETS
PERFORMANCE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
RELIABILITY
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
WORKING FLUIDS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDS
FUELS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GASES
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
MACHINERY
MATERIALS
MOBILE REACTORS
NONMETALS
POWER REACTORS
POWER SUPPLIES
PROPULSION REACTORS
RARE GASES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable