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Academic Lectures / Courses
Space Nuclear Reactor Design Presentation
Department / Organization: Nuclear Science and Engineering
DESIGN OF A LOW ENRICHMENT URANIUM NUCLEAR REACTOR TO POWER A FUTURE MARTIAN COLONY
The Final Design Presentations for the 20-21 Reactor Design Class will be held at 1 pm on May 11th over Zoom (https://mines.zoom.us/j/92229111109) and are open to anyone who is interested in the topic.
The establishment of extraterrestrial bases has been a focus of engineers and scientists for many decades. The eventual development of these bases into small colonies will create a greater demand for surface power systems. Nuclear fission power systems offer the capability for reliable, extended operation with a wide range of potential missions for kilowatt and megawatt class power systems.
The Megawatt Implementation of a NuclEar ReActor using Low enrichment uranium (MINERAL) employs a buried, cylindrical reactor targeting a 10-year operating lifetime. Hexagonal, annular fuel elements have both inner moderator and cladding layers with a central coolant channel. The fuel consists of uranium monocarbide with a yttrium hydride moderator. The reactor is cooled by a direct CO2 Brayton cycle, providing resiliency with the ability to use the Martian atmosphere in loss of coolant events. A two-stage coolant flow path mitigates negative effects of the power peaking factor on the coolant flow rates. The Martian environment allows for a bi-modal heat rejection system that boasts higher specific dissipation than deep-space radiators, and can also maintain constant core inlet conditions in the highly variable Martian weather.