Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Results of the KRUSTY Nuclear System Test

Journal Article · · Nuclear Technology
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

The Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) was a prototypic nuclear-powered test of a 5-kW(thermal) Kilopower space reactor. This paper presents results from the KRUSTY nuclear system test, which operated the power system at various temperatures and power levels for 28 consecutive hours. The testing showed that the system operated as expected and that the reactor is highly tolerant of possible failure conditions and transients. The key feature demonstrated was the ability of the reactor to load-follow the demand of the power conversion system. The thermal power of the test ranged from 1.5 to 5.0 kW(thermal), with a fuel temperature up to 880°C. Each 80-W(electric)–rated Stirling converter produced ~90 W(electric) at a component efficiency of ~35% and an overall system efficiency of ~25%.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
1648091
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-19-32702; TRN: US2202898
Journal Information:
Nuclear Technology, Vol. 206, Issue sup1; ISSN 0029-5450
Publisher:
Taylor & FrancisCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (8)

Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) Cold Critical Measurements journal June 2020
FRINK — A Code to Evaluate Space Reactor Transients conference January 2007
Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) Component-Critical Experiments journal June 2020
Kilopower Project: The KRUSTY Fission Power Experiment and Potential Missions journal June 2020
KRUSTY Experiment: Reactivity Insertion Accident Analysis journal June 2020
Heat Transport and Power Conversion of the Kilopower Reactor Test journal June 2020
Results of the KRUSTY Warm Critical Experiments journal June 2020
KRUSTY Reactor Design journal June 2020

Figures / Tables (20)

Fig. 1(p. 4)figure Fig. 1
Fig. 2(p. 4)figure Fig. 2
Fig. 3(p. 5)figure Fig. 3
Fig. 4(p. 5)figure Fig. 4
Fig. 5(p. 6)figure Fig. 5
Fig. 6.(p. 7)figure Fig. 6.
Fig. 7(p. 8)figure Fig. 7
Fig. 8(p. 9)figure Fig. 8
Fig. 9(p. 9)figure Fig. 9
Fig. 10(p. 11)figure Fig. 10
Fig. 11(p. 11)figure Fig. 11
Fig. 12(p. 13)figure Fig. 12
Fig. 13(p. 14)figure Fig. 13
Fig. 14(p. 15)figure Fig. 14
Fig. 15(p. 20)figure Fig. 15
Fig. 16(p. 22)figure Fig. 16
Fig. 17(p. 23)figure Fig. 17
Fig. 18(p. 25)figure Fig. 18
Fig. 19(p. 26)figure Fig. 19
Fig. 20(p. 29)figure Fig. 20

Similar Records

KRUSTY Reactor Design
Journal Article · 2020 · Nuclear Technology · OSTI ID:1699487
+1 more
Results of the KRUSTY Warm Critical Experiments
Journal Article · 2020 · Nuclear Technology · OSTI ID:1648090
+1 more
Kilopower Project: The KRUSTY Fission Power Experiment and Potential Missions
Journal Article · 2020 · Nuclear Technology · OSTI ID:1648084
+2 more

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Integral Experiments
Kilopower
KRUSTY
space reactor
fission power system
space nuclear power