TY - GEN
T1 - Anti-Criticality Methods for Nuclear Thermal Rocket Launches and Their Associated Assembly/Disassembly in Space
AU - Wilson, Brandon
AU - Cline, Julia
AU - Borders, Kaylin
AU - Shilenko, Pavel
AU - Dianne Bull Ezell, N.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - When launching a nuclear reactor into space for use in a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR), public safety is crucial. Ensuring that the reactor will not go critical in an accident scenario is the biggest risk that must be mitigated to protect the public. Use of anti-criticality devices and methods, such as the use of poison materials in the core or loading a select portion of the fuel on orbit, can prevent the reactor from going critical in any accident scenario. However, both methods (i.e., unpoisoning and loading fuel into the reactor core on orbit) will likely require the use of In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) technology to remove those safeguards and ensure the reactor is fully operational before use. This paper discusses the use of ISAMs to help with the unpackaging of anti-criticality devices on orbit, along with ISAMs’ ability to help verify and perform maintenance and inspection checks of the reactor system before operation and in between engine burns.
AB - When launching a nuclear reactor into space for use in a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR), public safety is crucial. Ensuring that the reactor will not go critical in an accident scenario is the biggest risk that must be mitigated to protect the public. Use of anti-criticality devices and methods, such as the use of poison materials in the core or loading a select portion of the fuel on orbit, can prevent the reactor from going critical in any accident scenario. However, both methods (i.e., unpoisoning and loading fuel into the reactor core on orbit) will likely require the use of In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) technology to remove those safeguards and ensure the reactor is fully operational before use. This paper discusses the use of ISAMs to help with the unpackaging of anti-criticality devices on orbit, along with ISAMs’ ability to help verify and perform maintenance and inspection checks of the reactor system before operation and in between engine burns.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85202901241&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.13182/NETS24-44019
DO - 10.13182/NETS24-44019
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85202901241
T3 - Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2024
SP - 382
EP - 387
BT - Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2024
PB - American Nuclear Society
T2 - 2024 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2024
Y2 - 6 May 2024 through 10 May 2024
ER -