Reactor and shielding design implications of clustering nuclear thermal rockets

Conference · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:6908735

Buksa, J J; Houts, M G ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States)

This paper examines design considerations in the context of engine-out accidents in clustered nuclear-thermal rocket stages, and an accident-management protocol is devised. Safety and performance issues are considered in the light of designs for the reactor and shielding elements of ROVER/NERVA-type engines. The engine-out management process involves: phase one, in which sufficient propulsive power is guaranteed for mission completion; and phase two, in which engine failure is isolated and not allowed to propagate to other engines or to the spacecraft. Phase-one designs can employ spare engines, throttled engines, and/or long-burning engines. Phase-two safety concepts can include techniques for cooling or jettisoning the failed engines. Engine-out management philosophies are shown to be shaped by a combination of safety and mission-trajectory requirements. 6 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6908735
• Report Number(s): AIAA-Paper-92-3586; CONF-920747-
• Resource Relation: Conference: 28. joint propulsion conference, Nashville, TN (United States), 6-8 Jul 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
NERVA REACTOR
DESIGN
SHIELDING
ROVER REACTORS
MANAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
ROCKET ENGINES
SAFETY
SAFETY ENGINEERING
ACCIDENTS
ENGINEERING
ENGINES
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
HYDROGEN COOLED REACTORS
MOBILE REACTORS
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210600 - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable