A conceptual nuclear thermal rocket (NTR), the XNR2000, has been developed that is powered by a fast spectrum, cermet fueled reactor core. The baseline XNR2000 system delivers 25000 Ibf of thrust at a specific impulse of 900 seconds. The cermet fueled reactor heats hydrogen propellant to a maximum temperature of 2668K in a two‐pass reactor flow configuration. Thermal hydraulic and neutronic analyses were performed to assess the basic design characteristics of the reactor core and engine system. Temperature, flow, and pressure distribution throughout the engine system at full power operating conditions were also determined. The two‐pass reactor design and the utilization of cermet fuels allow for a compact and high power density 25000 Ibf thrust system with a thrust to weight ratio of larger than 5.3. This paper summarizes the XNR2000 conceptual design, the supporting thermal hydraulic and neutronic analyses, and the rational that lead to the baseline design.
XNR2000—A near term nuclear thermal rocket concept
10th SymposiumùSpace Nuclear Power and Propulsion ; 1993 ; Albuquerque, NM, USA
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 271 , 3 ; 1743-1752
1993-01-20
10 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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