Date of Award

3-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Engineering Physics

First Advisor

Ronald F. Tuttle, PhD

Abstract

Nuclear thermal propulsion offers significant improvements in rocket engine specific impulse over rockets employing chemical propulsion. The computer code ATHENA (Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Energy Network Analyzer) was used in a parametric analysis of fuelpipe. The fuelpipe is an annular particle bed fuel element of the reactor with radially inward flow of hydrogen through it. The outlet temperature of the hydrogen is parametrically related to key effects, including the effect of reactor power at two different pressure drops, the effect of the power coupling factor of the Annular Core Research Reactor, and the effect of hydrogen flow. Results show that the outlet temperature is linearly related to the reactor power and nonlinearly to the change in pressure drop. The linear relationship at higher temperatures is probably not valid due to dissociation of hydrogen. Once thermal properties of hydrogen become available, the ATHENA model for this study could easily be modified to test this conjecture.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GNE-ENP-92M-2

DTIC Accession Number

ADA248111

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

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