Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration

Space travel requires propulsion with high specific impulse. Gas core reactors using plasma nuclear fuel operate at high temperature (104-105K) and theoretically produce higher specific impulses (2500-7000s) than solid core nuclear thermal rockets. Ground-based reactors have higher total energy conv...

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Main Author: Yebing Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2023-06-01
Series:International Journal of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design and Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468605023000388
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author Yebing Zhang
author_facet Yebing Zhang
author_sort Yebing Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Space travel requires propulsion with high specific impulse. Gas core reactors using plasma nuclear fuel operate at high temperature (104-105K) and theoretically produce higher specific impulses (2500-7000s) than solid core nuclear thermal rockets. Ground-based reactors have higher total energy conversion efficiency (70%). It also can exhaust all actinides and have negative density coefficients of reactivity. This paper reviews the evolution of gas core reactors for space exploration in the United States and the Soviet Union, including nuclear light bulb, open-cycle gas core nuclear rockets and gas core reactors for power generation. In terms of reactor physics, the selected materials and selection criteria for fuel and moderator-reflector are compiled, and the available neutron analysis methods are summarized. In terms of reactor physics, fluid thermal properties, radiation heat transfer models and thermal protection methods are briefly introduced. Fuel loss as the representative challenge is analyzed for the main causes of generation. In this paper, the principles, related studies, and advantages and disadvantages of four fuel confinements are reviewed. Finally, the principles and start-up process of the two start-up methods are discussed. Start-up is another challenge for this reactor design. Early this century, gas core reactor research stagnated due to the lack of thermal property data and the ability of high-temperature hydrodynamics simulation. Nowadays, with the increase of computing power and the breakthrough of computational fluid dynamics, these challenges are expected to be overcome.
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spelling doaj.art-6173f000a2ff4036a1454ccd546760a12023-09-15T04:40:07ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.International Journal of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design and Technology2468-60502023-06-01525371Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space explorationYebing Zhang0National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”, Krasnokazarmennaya 14, Moscow, 111250, RussiaSpace travel requires propulsion with high specific impulse. Gas core reactors using plasma nuclear fuel operate at high temperature (104-105K) and theoretically produce higher specific impulses (2500-7000s) than solid core nuclear thermal rockets. Ground-based reactors have higher total energy conversion efficiency (70%). It also can exhaust all actinides and have negative density coefficients of reactivity. This paper reviews the evolution of gas core reactors for space exploration in the United States and the Soviet Union, including nuclear light bulb, open-cycle gas core nuclear rockets and gas core reactors for power generation. In terms of reactor physics, the selected materials and selection criteria for fuel and moderator-reflector are compiled, and the available neutron analysis methods are summarized. In terms of reactor physics, fluid thermal properties, radiation heat transfer models and thermal protection methods are briefly introduced. Fuel loss as the representative challenge is analyzed for the main causes of generation. In this paper, the principles, related studies, and advantages and disadvantages of four fuel confinements are reviewed. Finally, the principles and start-up process of the two start-up methods are discussed. Start-up is another challenge for this reactor design. Early this century, gas core reactor research stagnated due to the lack of thermal property data and the ability of high-temperature hydrodynamics simulation. Nowadays, with the increase of computing power and the breakthrough of computational fluid dynamics, these challenges are expected to be overcome.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468605023000388Space nuclear reactorReactor physics and thermal-hydraulic analysisFuel confinement
spellingShingle Yebing Zhang
Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
International Journal of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design and Technology
Space nuclear reactor
Reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic analysis
Fuel confinement
title Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
title_full Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
title_fullStr Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
title_full_unstemmed Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
title_short Advanced nuclear power engine: A brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
title_sort advanced nuclear power engine a brief overview of gas core reactor for space exploration
topic Space nuclear reactor
Reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic analysis
Fuel confinement
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468605023000388
work_keys_str_mv AT yebingzhang advancednuclearpowerengineabriefoverviewofgascorereactorforspaceexploration