The Naval Reactors Prime Contractor Team (NRPCT) recommended the development of a gas cooled reactor directly coupled to a Brayton energy conversion system as the Space Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP) for NASA’s Project Prometheus. The section of piping between the reactor outlet and turbine inlet, designated as the hot leg piping, required unique design features to allow the use of a nickel superalloy rather than a refractory metal as the pressure boundary. The NRPCT evaluated a variety of hot leg piping concepts for performance relative to SNPP system parameters, manufacturability, material considerations, and comparison to past high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) practice. Manufacturability challenges and the impact of pressure drop and turbine entrance temperature reduction on cycle efficiency were discriminators between the piping concepts. This paper summarizes the NRPCT hot leg piping evaluation, presents the concept recommended, and summarizes developmental issues for the recommended concept.
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30 January 2007
SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL FORUM-STAIF 2007: 11th Conf Thermophys.Applic.in Micrograv.; 24th Symp Space Nucl.Pwr.Propulsion; 5th Conf Hum/Robotic Techn & Vision Space Explor.; 5th Symp Space Coloniz.; 4th Symp New Frontrs & Future Con
11-15 February 2007
Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)
Research Article|
January 30 2007
Prometheus Hot Leg Piping Concept
Anastasia M. Gribik;
Anastasia M. Gribik
1Bechtel Bettis, Inc., Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, West Mifflin, PA 15122
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Peter A. DiLorenzo
Peter A. DiLorenzo
2KAPL, Inc., Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Schenectady, NY 12301
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AIP Conf. Proc. 880, 483–496 (2007)
Citation
Anastasia M. Gribik, Peter A. DiLorenzo; Prometheus Hot Leg Piping Concept. AIP Conf. Proc. 30 January 2007; 880 (1): 483–496. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2437489
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