Preliminary study of impact of fuel options on performance of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) concepts

Details Preliminary study of impact of fuel options on performance of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) concepts Preliminary study of impact of fuel options on performance of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) concepts

Jan 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002aipc..608.1084l&link_type=abstract

SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL FORUM- STAIF 2002. Conference on Thermophyiscs in Microgravity; Conference on In

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Propulsion Reactors, Spaceborne And Space Research Instruments, Apparatus, And Components

Scientific paper

A study of the sensitivity to fuel type and composition on the performance of two Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) concepts is presented. The performance measures are the specific impulse and the thrust/weight (T/W) ratio, and the concepts considered are based on the NERVA and ESCORT reactors. For the NERVA concept use of alternative fissile materials showed significant reductions in core mass which improves the values of T/W. However, launch safety considerations may be the dominant factor in selection of fissile material. The use of ternary carbide based fuels allows higher exhaust temperatures, but due to their higher density reduces T/W. The use of molybdenum based cermets, and cermets which use UN or UC2 fuel allow for significant reductions in the reactor mass, and thus an increase in T/W. However, the use of molybdenum reduces the exhaust temperature. Both these results for the NERVA and ESCORT based systems indicate the need to axially zone the core. The lower temperature but lighter material should be used in the cooler (<2500 K) parts of the core, and the heavier, higher temperature material should be used in the outlet end of the core. In addition, the thermal response, and implied stress is estimated for the NERVA concept. .

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