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The design of a multimegawatt heat pipe radiator for an inertial fusion rocket powered manned Mars missionA system of heat pipe radiators has been designed to provide waste heat rejection for an inertial fusion powered spacecraft capable of manned missions to other planets. The radiators are arrays of unfinned, arterial heat pipes operating at 1500 and 900 K. Liquid metal coolant carries up to 8000 MW of waste heat through feed pipes from on-board components (laser drivers and coil shield). The radiators do not rely on armor for protection from micrometeoroid penetration. An armored radiator design for this application with a 99 percent survivability would have a specific mass of 0.06 to 0.11 kg/kW at 1500 K. Instead, a segmentation of heat pipes is used, and bumpers are utilized to protect the feed pipes. This design reduces the specific mass to 0.015 to 0.04 kg/kW for the coil shield radiator (1500 K) and 0.06 to 0.12 kg/kW for the laser driver radiator (900 K).
Document ID
19890065892
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Murray, K. A.
(Rockwell Energy Technology Engineering Center Canoga Park, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1988
Subject Category
Fluid Mechanics And Heat Transfer
Meeting Information
Meeting: ASME 1988 National Heat Transfer Conference
Location: Houston, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: July 24, 1988
End Date: July 27, 1988
Accession Number
89A53263
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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