Actions for Structural Materials and Fuels for Space Power Plants

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Structural Materials and Fuels for Space Power Plants

Author
Bowman, Cheryl
Published
June 08, 2008.
Physical Description
1 electronic document
Additional Creators
Porter, Douglas and Busby, Jeremy
Online Version

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Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available.
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Summary
A fission reactor combined with Stirling convertor power generation is one promising candidate in on-going Fission Surface Power (FSP) studies for future lunar and Martian bases. There are many challenges for designing and qualifying space-rated nuclear power plants. In order to have an affordable and sustainable program, NASA and DOE designers want to build upon the extensive foundation in nuclear fuels and structural materials. This talk will outline the current Fission Surface Power program and outline baseline design options for a lunar power plant with an emphasis on materials challenges. NASA first organized an Affordable Fission Surface Power System Study Team to establish a reference design that could be scrutinized for technical and fiscal feasibility. Previous papers and presentations have discussed this study process in detail. Considerations for the reference design included that no significant nuclear technology, fuels, or material development were required for near term use. The desire was to build upon terrestrial-derived reactor technology including conventional fuels and materials. Here we will present an overview of the reference design, Figure 1, and examine the materials choices. The system definition included analysis and recommendations for power level and life, plant configuration, shielding approach, reactor type, and power conversion type. It is important to note that this is just one concept undergoing refinement. The design team, however, understands that materials selection and improvement must be an integral part of the system development.
Other Subject(s)
Collection
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
Note
Document ID: 20080033112.
ANS Annual Meeting- Nuclear Science and Technology: Now Arriving on Main Street; 8-12 Jun. 2008; California; United States.
Terms of Use and Reproduction
Copyright, Distribution as joint owner in the copyright.
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