Lesson 14 Nuclear Propulsion Design.ppt

Lesson 14: Nuclear Propulsion Design Dr. Andrew Ketsdever Design Process The design process is driven by mission requirements (all propulsion systems) Payload mass Mission ?V Operational environment Key differences for nuclear propulsion system from the design of a liquid rocket Design of the reactor Design of the radiation shield Design Process Steps Preliminary Design Decisions Evaluate propellants Thermochemistry Performance Size the overall system Propellant mass Total mass Design Process Steps Size the Reactor Determine appropriate reactor type NERVA PBR CERMET Determine the core dimensions Determine the reactor mass Design Process Steps Design the Other Systems Thrust (stagnation) chamber Efficient heat transfer No mixing or vaporizing of propellants required Propellant feed system Pressurization or turbopump fed Flow control Valves, regulators, feedlines Radiation shield Protect sensitive payloads Support structure Design Process Steps Evaluate the Design Performance Mass Safety ITERATE Thermochemistry Evaluation Much easier than liquid or solid analysis since no combustion is taking place The nuclear reactor is simply used to heat a propellant gas Thermodynamics Gas dynamics Performance driven by Maximum achievable temperature Heat transfer efficiency Propellant selected Reactors Propellant Selection For high Isp, low molecular weight propellants should be used Molecular hydrogen Methane Water Temperature variation of g can be found by where Cp = Cp (T) [Thermally perfect gas assumption] Propellant Selection For H2: Knowledge of the thermochemistry lends itself to the estimation of c*, ve, and Isp. Required Reactor Power The heat added to the propellant mass flow is equal to the steady-state power generated by the reactor Assuming no heat losses This power is used to increase the enthalpy of the flow Reactor Power The specific reactor power is dependent on the maximum propellant temperature For H2: Assumes a linear approximation