Engineering news
NASA's Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (Krusty) experiment tested the reactor, a small and lightweight fission system potentially capable of powering outposts for at least 10 years.
The prototype used a solid, cast uranium-235 reactor core, “about the size of a paper towel roll”. Passive sodium heat pipes transferred reactor heat to high-efficiency Stirling engines, which converted the heat to electricity.
NASA bosses hope nuclear reactors could enable lengthy crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
“Safe, efficient and plentiful energy will be the key to future robotic and human exploration,” said Jim Reuter, acting associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate. “I expect the Kilopower project to be an essential part of lunar and Mars power architectures as they evolve.”
With maximum power output of 10kW – 1,200 times less than the world’s most powerful wind turbine, the GE Haliade-X – space colonists would need at least four units to provide enough power to establish an outpost.
Engineers nonetheless say it could be the ideal system for Moon exploration, where solar power is difficult because of lunar nights lasting 14 Earth days.
“Kilopower gives us the ability to do much higher power missions, and to explore the shadowed craters of the Moon,” said lead Kilopower engineer Marc Gibson. “When we start sending astronauts for long stays on the Moon and to other planets, that’s going to require a new class of power that we’ve never needed before.”
Recent testing in Nevada “put the system through its paces,” Gibson said. They culminated in a 28-hour, full-power test that simulated a mission with reactor start-up, full power, steady operation and shutdown. As well as checking the reactor’s generation, engineers also tested its safety. The team simulated power reduction, failed engines and heat pipes, showing the system could continue operating and successfully handle multiple failures.
“We understand the reactor very well, and this test proved that the system works the way we designed it to work,” said Gibson. “No matter what environment we expose it to, the reactor performs very well.”
The project is now developing mission concepts and reducing risks to prepare for a possible flight demonstration. A demonstration in 2020 could pave the way for the system’s adoption, including for missions that use ‘in situ’ resource utilisation to collect local fuels or other materials.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.