Carbide Coated Carbon-Carbon Heat Exchange Tubes for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Fuel Assembly

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) systems are proposed for human Mars missions because of the potential for reduced round-trip transit time that decreases crew exposure to space environmental hazards. NTP enables abort scenarios not available with other systems and can also be used for expanded cis-lunar mobility and deep space exploration. Heat exchange tubes, within the nuclear fuel assembly, provide flow channels for gaseous hydrogen propellant to carry the heat released during the nuclear fission reaction out of the assembly. This paper summarizes the ongoing work at NASA Centers and contractors, led by NASA Langley Research Center to develop hermetic carbide coated carbon-carbon heat exchange tubes for the NTP fuel assembly; capable of operating at 2900 K in a high-pressure, flowing hydrogen environment.