Nuclear thermal propulsion: Difference between revisions
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Nuclear thermal propulsion uses a nuclear core to heat a propellant and provide propulsion to a space vehicle. | Nuclear thermal propulsion uses a nuclear core to heat a propellant and provide propulsion to a space vehicle. | ||
Liquid hydrogen is usually used as the propellant as it has a higher velocity for the same input power, and therefore produces a faster final velocity according to the [[Propulsion|rocket equation]]. | |||
__NOTOC__ | __NOTOC__ | ||
==History of nuclear thermal propulsion== | ==History of nuclear thermal propulsion== | ||
===American=== | ===American=== | ||
Nerva<ref>Nerva on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA</ref> | Nerva<ref>Nerva on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA</ref> | ||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
!Propellant | |||
|Liquid hydrogen | |||
|- | |||
! colspan="2" |Performance | |||
|- | |||
!Thrust (vac.) | |||
|246,663 N (55,452 lb<sub>f</sub>) | |||
|- | |||
!Chamber pressure | |||
|3,861 kPa (560.0 psi) | |||
|- | |||
!''I''<sub>sp</sub> (vac.) | |||
|841 seconds (8.25 km/s) | |||
|- | |||
!''I''<sub>sp</sub> (SL) | |||
|710 seconds (7.0 km/s) | |||
|- | |||
!Burn time | |||
|1,680 seconds | |||
|- | |||
!Thrust to weigh ratio | |||
!1.36 | |||
|- | |||
!Restarts | |||
|24 | |||
|- | |||
! colspan="2" |Dimensions | |||
|- | |||
!Length | |||
|6.9 meters (23 ft) | |||
|- | |||
!Diameter | |||
|2.59 meters (8 ft 6 in) | |||
|- | |||
!Dry weight | |||
|18,144 kilograms (40,001 lb) | |||
|} | |||
* | |||
* | |||
===Russian=== | ===Russian=== | ||
| Line 25: | Line 70: | ||
*Lower ISP than electric | *Lower ISP than electric | ||
*Low public trust | *Low public trust | ||
*Thrust to weight ratio | *Thrust to weight ratio close to 1 (cannot take off from Earth with a significant payload) | ||
===Types=== | ===Types=== | ||
| Line 33: | Line 78: | ||
*Nuclear light bulb, open and closed | *Nuclear light bulb, open and closed | ||
== References == | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
Revision as of 18:38, 9 August 2019
Nuclear thermal propulsion uses a nuclear core to heat a propellant and provide propulsion to a space vehicle.
Liquid hydrogen is usually used as the propellant as it has a higher velocity for the same input power, and therefore produces a faster final velocity according to the rocket equation.
History of nuclear thermal propulsion
American
Nerva[1]
| Propellant | Liquid hydrogen |
|---|---|
| Performance | |
| Thrust (vac.) | 246,663 N (55,452 lbf) |
| Chamber pressure | 3,861 kPa (560.0 psi) |
| Isp (vac.) | 841 seconds (8.25 km/s) |
| Isp (SL) | 710 seconds (7.0 km/s) |
| Burn time | 1,680 seconds |
| Thrust to weigh ratio | 1.36 |
| Restarts | 24 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 6.9 meters (23 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.59 meters (8 ft 6 in) |
| Dry weight | 18,144 kilograms (40,001 lb) |
Russian
Analysis of use
Advantages
- Higher ISP than chemical
- Higher power energy source
- Shorter travel time
- Oberth effect
- Self cooling
Disadvantages
- Cost
- Cost of development
- Risk of accident
- Lower ISP than electric
- Low public trust
- Thrust to weight ratio close to 1 (cannot take off from Earth with a significant payload)
Types
- Solid core
- Gas core
- Nuclear light bulb, open and closed
References
- ↑ Nerva on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA