An improved heat transfer configuration for a solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engineInterrupted flow, impingement cooling, and axial power distribution are employed to enhance the heat-transfer configuration of a solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engine. Impingement cooling is introduced to increase the local heat-transfer coefficients between the reactor material and the coolants. Increased fuel loading is used at the inlet end of the reactor to enhance heat-transfer capability where the temperature differences are the greatest. A thermal-hydraulics computer program for an unfueled NERVA reactor core is employed to analyze the proposed configuration with attention given to uniform fuel loading, number of channels through the impingement wafers, fuel-element length, mass-flow rate, and wafer gap. The impingement wafer concept (IWC) is shown to have heat-transfer characteristics that are better than those of the NERVA-derived reactor at 2500 K. The IWC concept is argued to be an effective heat-transfer configuration for solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engines.
Document ID
19920071439
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Clark, John S. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Walton, James T. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Mcguire, Melissa L. (Cincinnati, University OH, United States)