Hydrogen control approach in the S-PRIME moderated thermionic reactor

Conference · Wed Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 1993 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.43040· OSTI ID:5460245

Ampaya, J P ^[1]

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1. Rocketdyne Division, Rockwell International, 6633 Canoga Avenue, P.O. Box 7922, Canoga Park, CA 91309-7922 (United States)

A preliminary analysis was carried out to estimate they hydrogen partial pressure in a NaK cooled 40 kWe thermionic reactor using zirconium hydride moderator elements. This analysis evaluated the potential problem of hydrogen pressure build-up within the Cs cavity of the thermionic fuel elements. To avoid a significant degradation in the performance of the TFEs, a maximum limit of 1.33 PA (0.01 torr) of hydrogen pressure was selected. Hydrogen permeation through the heat rejection walls of the NaK loop was not sufficient to keep the hydrogen pressure down to this desired level if stainless steel or another material with similar permeation properties was used in the NaK containment boundary. The use of a niobium diffusion window or a yttrium H[sub 2] getter bed offers two possible solutions to this problem

• OSTI ID: 5460245
• Report Number(s): CONF-930103-; CODEN: APCPCS
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 271:3; Conference: 10. symposium on space nuclear power and propulsion, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 10-14 Jan 1993; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
THERMIONIC REACTORS
THERMIONIC FUEL ELEMENTS
GETTERS
HYDROGEN
MODERATORS
NAK COOLED REACTORS
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
PARTIAL PRESSURE
PERMEABILITY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDES
ALLOYS
ELEMENTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
NONMETALS
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable
300403 - Thermionic Converters- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries