Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Overview

Solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engines are poised to play a vital role in near-term, manned, deep space missions because of their high specific impulse compared to chemical engines. One factor limiting historical designs was proliferation concerns over their use of high-enriched uranium. To mitigate these concerns, modern efforts are focused on low-enriched uranium (LEU) designs.

In support of the Space Capable Cryogenic Thermal Engine (SCCTE) project at Marshall Space Flight Center, I conducted a multidisciplinary study to advance development of the radial neutron reflector for the SCCTE configuration. The cooling channels in the radial neutron reflector were designed using themal/fluid simulations and the corresponding reactivity effect was investigated using Monte-Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulations. In addition, different absorber geometries were investigated to simplify manufacture and improve performance, and a low fidelity design was delivered to the team.

Contributions

• Led multidisciplinary study to advance development of the radial neutron reflector for SCCTE design

• Conducted heat transfer/fluid flow calculations (empirical and CFD) generating initial cooling scheme

• Provided reflector geometry for input to MCNP reactivity simulations

• Generated preliminary mechanical design of reflector assembly