Preliminary Study of Alternative Propellant Performance for a CNTR

Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Propulsion is an advanced propulsion concept engine which utilizes a bubble through nuclear reactor to directly heat the propellent, containing the liquid fuel in rotating cylinders using centrifugal force. Past studies have almost exclusively focused on hydrogen propellant configurations of the engine with a theoretical performance of 1800 seconds specific impulse.

Recent interest in alternative propellants has created a use case for using storable propellants at the cost of lower performance. Most notably ammonia, methane, and propane. The object of this work is to down select viable alternative propellants for use in a CNTR.