Difference between revisions of "Nuclear thermal propulsion"
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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 09:38, 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
