Low-Cost, Modular High-Temperature Irradiation Testbed for NTP Material Testing

Emily Hutchins; Lawrence Heilbronn; Brandon Wilson; N. Dianne Bull Ezell

doi:10.13182/NETS23-41916

Low-Cost, Modular High-Temperature Irradiation Testbed for NTP Material Testing

Emily Hutchins, Lawrence Heilbronn, Brandon Wilson, N. Dianne Bull Ezell

Nuclear and Extreme Environment Measurem

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has identified nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) as the preferred propulsion method for a crewed Mars mission in the late 2030s. Other programs, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Space Force, are interested in NTP for cislunar or low orbital maneuvering. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, developed the IN-pile Steady state Extreme Temperature (INSET) testbed to help NASA with identifying materials and sensors for the rocket. INSET is a modular test stand for exposing candidate materials and instrumentation to prototypic temperatures, neutron fluences, and atmospheric conditions seen in an NTP system. INSET was recently updated with a new heating element and internal structure to make the platform more repeatable and durable. An irradiation with the updated INSET platform is planned for early 2023. This summary discusses the development of INSET.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023
Publisher	American Nuclear Society
Pages	50-54
Number of pages	5
ISBN (Electronic)	9780894487903
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.13182/NETS23-41916
State	Published - 2023
Event	2023 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023 - Idaho Falls, United States Duration: May 7 2023 → May 11 2023

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023

Conference

Conference	2023 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023
Country/Territory	United States
City	Idaho Falls
Period	05/7/23 → 05/11/23

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who funds this work through the Department of Energy. We would like to acknowledge the support of The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory and the assistance of the reactor staff members. Emily Hutchins would like to acknowledge Dr. Richard Howard of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for his experience and insight with this experiment. Emily Hutchins would like to acknowledge Dr. Tyler Steiner of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his expertise and knowledge of INSET 1.0.

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Energy
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory
INSET	1.0

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10.13182/NETS23-41916

Cite this

Hutchins, E., Heilbronn, L., Wilson, B., & Ezell, N. D. B. (2023). Low-Cost, Modular High-Temperature Irradiation Testbed for NTP Material Testing. In Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023 (pp. 50-54). (Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023). American Nuclear Society. https://doi.org/10.13182/NETS23-41916

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author = "Emily Hutchins and Lawrence Heilbronn and Brandon Wilson and Ezell, {N. Dianne Bull}",

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Hutchins, E, Heilbronn, L, Wilson, B & Ezell, NDB 2023, Low-Cost, Modular High-Temperature Irradiation Testbed for NTP Material Testing. in Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023. Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023, American Nuclear Society, pp. 50-54, 2023 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023, Idaho Falls, United States, 05/7/23. https://doi.org/10.13182/NETS23-41916

Low-Cost, Modular High-Temperature Irradiation Testbed for NTP Material Testing. / Hutchins, Emily; Heilbronn, Lawrence; Wilson, Brandon et al.
Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023. American Nuclear Society, 2023. p. 50-54 (Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2023).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Low-Cost, Modular High-Temperature Irradiation Testbed for NTP Material Testing

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