Battery and Power Systems Designed by NASA
The engineering team in the Propulsion and Power Division designs, develops, tests and evaluates electric power and safe battery system solutions.
Martin Martinez↗
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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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A Full-Induction Magnetohydrodynamics Solver for Liquid Metal Fusion Blankets in Vertex-CFD
Multiphysics modeling of liquid metal fusion blankets, which produce tritium and convert energy of neutrons created via fusion reactions into heat, is crucial for predicting performance, ensuring structural integrity, and optimizing energy production. While traditional blanket modeling of liquid metal flows during normal steady operating conditions commonly employs the inductionless approximation of the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations, transient scenarios, when the plasma-confining magnetic field varies on millisecond time scales, require a full-induction MHD approach that dynamically evolves the magnetic field via the time-dependent induction equation. This paper presents the formulation, implementation, and initial verification of a full-induction MHD solver integrated within the open-source Vertex-CFD framework, which aims to achieve tight multiphysics coupling, a flexible software design enabling easy extension and addition of physics models, and performance portability across computing platforms. The solver utilizes finite element spatial discretization, implicit Runge–Kutta time integration, and an inexact Newton method to solve the resulting discrete nonlinear system, leveraging Trilinos packages for efficient computation. Verification against selected benchmark problems demonstrates accuracy and robustness of the solver. Furthermore, when the solver is applied to an idealized blanket model in 2.5D and full 3D, results obtained with Vertex-CFD are in good agreement with recently published quasi-2D simulations. These findings establish a computational foundation for future simulations of transient MHD phenomena in liquid metal blankets with Vertex-CFD, and open avenues for future extensions and performance optimizations.
Endeve, Eirik [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000312519507)↗
Dynamic Analysis of the STARC-ABL Propulsion System
In the pursuit of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP), much of the attention is on the development of hybrid electric concept vehicles and their propulsion systems from a steady state performance perspective. While it is steady-state performance that largely determines the efficiency of civil air transports, engine operability and transient performance define constraints for the steady state design that impact efficiency and system viability. Neglecting dynamics and control technologies can result in an over-designed, sub optimal propulsion system or a concept that is not feasible. Thus, dynamic system studies were conducted on the propulsion system of the conceptual aircraft design known as the Single-aisle Turboelectric AiRCraft with Aft Boundary Layer propulsor (STARC-ABL). This paper describes the development of a controller to verify the baseline concept's feasibility from an operability perspective. Further, studies were conducted to identify excessive stability margin in the baseline design that could be traded for potential benefits in efficiency through an engine re design. This study revealed the potential to reduce the high pressure compressor (HPC) stall margin by 3%. Finally, a study was conducted to investigate the potential benefit of adding energy storage to the STARC-ABL concept that further improves operability and enables more gains in engine efficiency and performance. The energy storage provided an additional 0.5% stall margin can be removed from the HPC.
hybrid electric propulsion↗
Preliminary Dynamic Modeling of the Quarter-Scale Distributed Electric Propulsion Aircraft
This paper describes the early-stage modeling of a quarter-scale distributed electric propulsion aircraft, based on the SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan, a transformative concept aircraft for which a model exists. The full-scale 180 passenger SUSAN concept has a single turbofan engine in the tail that both produces thrust and provides electrical power to 16 electric fans distributed across the wings utilizing a series/parallel hybrid architecture. The quarter-scale version would have an internal combustion piston engine to provide power to 17 electric fans–16 on the wings, one in the tail–in a series hybrid configuration, and no vertical or horizontal stabilizers. It would also have a reduced flight envelope in terms of both altitude and speed. The initial modeling approach is to scale down the original airframe model to capture the dynamic behavior of a much smaller aircraft, albeit with an empennage. The original powertrain model is then replaced with one representing the physical components of that of the quarter-scale vehicle. This powertrain model is suitable for control design and analysis, and the fully integrated, although preliminary, aircraft model allows flight simulator testing and evaluation. Results from simulations are presented.
electrified aircraft propulsion↗
Preliminary Dynamic Modeling of the Quarter-Scale Distributed Electric Propulsion Aircraft
This presentation describes the early-stage modeling of a quarter-scale distributed electric propulsion aircraft, based on the SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan, a transformative concept aircraft for which a model exists. The full-scale 180 passenger SUSAN concept has a single turbofan engine in the tail that both produces thrust and provides electrical power to 16 electric fans distributed across the wings utilizing a series/parallel hybrid architecture. The quarter-scale version would have an internal combustion piston engine to provide power to 17 electric fans–16 on the wings, one in the tail–in a series hybrid configuration, and no vertical or horizontal stabilizers. It would also have a reduced flight envelope in terms of both altitude and speed. The initial modeling approach is to scale down the original airframe model to capture the dynamic behavior of a much smaller aircraft, albeit with an empennage. The original powertrain model is then replaced with one representing the physical components of that of the quarter-scale vehicle. This powertrain model is suitable for control design and analysis, and the fully integrated, although preliminary, aircraft model allows flight simulator testing and evaluation. Results from simulations are presented.
electrified aircraft propulsion↗
Preliminary Dynamic Modeling of the Quarter-Scale Distributed Electric Propulsion Aircraft
This paper describes the early-stage modeling of a quarter-scale distributed electric propulsion aircraft, based on the SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan, a transformative concept aircraft for which a model exists. The full-scale 180 passenger SUSAN concept has a single turbofan engine in the tail that both produces thrust and provides electrical power to 16 electric fans distributed across the wings utilizing a series/parallel hybrid architecture. The quarter-scale version would have an internal combustion piston engine to provide power to 17 electric fans–16 on the wings, one in the tail–in a series hybrid configuration, and no vertical or horizontal stabilizers. It would also have a reduced flight envelope in terms of both altitude and speed. The initial modeling approach is to scale down the original airframe model to capture the dynamic behavior of a much smaller aircraft, albeit with an empennage. The original powertrain model is then replaced with one representing the physical components of that of the quarter-scale vehicle. This powertrain model is suitable for control design and analysis, and the fully integrated, although preliminary, aircraft model allows flight simulator testing and evaluation. Results from simulations are presented.
Electrified powertrain↗
Final Technical Report for DE-SC0022206
This project developed foundational genetic, genomic, and epigenetic tools for anaerobic fungi (Neocallimastigomycota), a group of microorganisms with exceptional natural abilities to deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass. Efficient biomass deconstruction remains a major barrier to economical production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials from agricultural and forestry residues. The project sought to enable mechanistic studies and future engineering of anaerobic fungi by improving genomic resources, establishing methods for gene expression, and investigating epigenetic regulation of biomass-degrading pathways. Major accomplishments included generation of the first chromosome-scale genome assemblies for multiple anaerobic fungal species, providing publicly available genomic resources that support both engineering and fundamental biological research. The project established the first reproducible system for heterologous gene expression in anaerobic fungi and identified genomic features and mobile genetic elements that may support future development of stable transformation technologies. In parallel, the project demonstrated direct conversion of untreated lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and specialty chemicals through a fungal-yeast bioprocess and identified anaerobic fungal enzymes with utility for metabolic engineering. The research also revealed that epigenetic regulation plays an important role in controlling fungal gene expression and enzyme production, identifying potential strategies for enhancing biomass degradation. Collectively, this work established anaerobic fungi as a tractable emerging platform for bioenergy and biomanufacturing research, generated valuable public resources, trained the next generation of researchers, and advanced DOE-BER goals related to predictive biology, sustainable bioprocessing, and the circular bioeconomy.
Solomon, Kevin [University of Delaware] (ORCID:000↗
Determination of Local Experimental Heat-Transfer Coefficients on Combustion Side of an Ammonia-Oxygen Rocket
Local experimental heat-transfer coefficients were measured in the chamber and throat of a 2400-pound-thrust ammonia-oxygen rocket engine with a nominal chamber pressure of 600 pounds per square inch absolute. Three injector configurations were used. The rocket engine was run over a range of oxidant-fuel ratio and chamber pressure. The injector that achieved the best performance also produced the highest rates of heat flux at design conditions. The heat-transfer data from the best-performing injector agreed well with the simplified equation developed by Bartz at the throat region. A large spread of data was observed for the chamber. This spread was attributed generally to the variations of combustion processes. The spread was least evident, however, with the best-performing injector.
Curt H Liebert↗
Preliminary Plan to Inform Testing of a Heat Exchanger Test Article
This report presents a preliminary plan to guide the qualification testing of advanced heat exchanger (HX) components for nuclear-to-industrial heat transfer applications. The objective is to establish a defensible, physics-based methodology that integrates computational modeling, targeted experimentation, and in-service inspection considerations to demonstrate component performance and reliability under representative reactor conditions. The analysis identifies Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) and High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) systems as reference configurations in terms of temperature, pressure, and chemical environment. Within these operating envelopes, dominant degradation mechanisms— including creep–fatigue interaction, flow-induced vibration, corrosion, and diffusion-bond deterioration—were evaluated to define test requirements. A comprehensive computationalexperimental framework is proposed to support life prediction and qualification activities. The framework couples high-fidelity structural-mechanics, thermal-hydraulic, and fluid-structure interaction models with accelerated degradation testing to produce a traceable linkage between microstructural evolution, mechanical performance, and remaining useful life (RUL). The approach adheres to established Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) standards (ASME V&V 10/20; NUREG-2152) and incorporates a digital-twin architecture for continuous model refinement through data assimilation. The plan further outlines testing methodologies, including pre-test analyses, test-loop design parameters, and sensor placement strategies that maximize information yield while maintaining mechanistic fidelity. Complementary sections describe in-service inspection (ISI), on-line monitoring (OLM), and structural-health-monitoring (SHM) techniques applicable to compact HX geometries typical of advanced reactors. Collectively, these activities establish the technical foundation for demonstrating 40-60-year equivalent service life of advanced heat exchangers in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor and Integrated Energy Systems programs. The forthcoming phase will execute the defined pre-test analyses, initiate hardware fabrication, and implement the integrated testing campaign to validate the proposed qualification methodology.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
In situ studies on heavy ion irradiation and partial oxidation induced stacking faults and nanograins in tungsten nanolaminates
Understanding the microstructural evolution of tungsten (W) under extreme irradiation environments is critical for its application as a plasma-facing material in future fusion reactors. Heavy ion irradiation study offers expedited damage accumulation and thus allows irradiation tolerance property prediction in a short period of time. In this study we explore in situ Kr ion irradiation of W nanolaminates at 800 °C and uncover a complex interplay of irradiation-induced transformations, including the emergence of stacking faults, nanograin formation, and generation of thickened grain boundaries defined as GB regions with the thickness of up to 15 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies reveal the formation of extended planar faults and a metastable hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase within the body-centered cubic (bcc) matrix. These structural transitions are facilitated by irradiation-induced shear. They are further stabilized by the presence of oxygen, which promotes stacking fault formation and vacancy trapping. Elevated temperatures enhance defect mobility, enabling dynamic recrystallization into ultrafine grains and the thickening of GBs due to defect absorption and impurity segregation. These findings unravel non-equilibrium phase transformation pathways in heavy ion irradiated W and highlight the critical role of impurity-mediated defect dynamics in governing its radiation tolerance properties.
Wazeer, Adil [Purdue University]↗
De Novo Design of High‐Affinity Miniprotein Binders Targeting Francisella Tularensis Virulence Factor
Abstract Francisella tularensis poses considerable public health risk due to its high infectivity and potential for bioterrorism. Francisella‐like lipoprotein (Flpp3), a key virulence factor unique to Francisella, plays critical roles in infection and immune evasion, making it a promising target for therapeutic development. However, the lack of well‐defined binding pockets and structural information on native interactions has hindered structure‐guided ligand discovery against Flpp3. Here, we used a combination of physics‐based and deep‐learning methods to design high‐affinity miniprotein binders targeting two distinct sites on Flpp3. We identified four binders for site I with binding affinities ranging between 24–110 nM. For the second site, an initial binder showed a dissociation constant ( K D ) of 81 nM, and subsequent site saturation mutagenesis yielded variants with sub‐nanomolar affinities. Circular dichroism confirmed the topology of designed miniproteins. The X‐ray crystal structure of Flpp3 in complex with a site I binder is nearly identical to the design model (Cα root‐mean‐square deviation (RMSD): 0.9 Å). These designed miniproteins provide research tools to explore the roles of Flpp3 in tularemia and should enable the development of new therapeutic candidates.
Gokce‐Alpkilic, Gizem [Molecular Engineering and S↗
Λ polarization from vortex rings as the medium response for jet thermalization
We performed a systematic study on the formation of vorticity rings as the process for jet thermalization in the medium created in high-energy nuclear collisions. In this work, we expanded our previous analysis to a more realistic framework by considering noncentral events and fluctuations in the initial condition. We simulate the formation and evolution of the flow vortex structure in a relativistic viscous hydrodynamic model and study the sensitivity of the proposed “ring observable” (ℛ$^{𝑡}_{Λ}$) that can be measured experimentally through the polarization of Λ hyperons. We show that this observable is robust with respect to fluctuating initial conditions to capture the jet-induced vortex flow signal and further study its dependence on different model parameters, such as the jet's velocity, position, the fluid's shear viscosity, and the collision centrality. The proposed observable is associated with the formation of vorticity in a quark-gluon plasma, showing that the measurement of particle polarization can be a powerful tool to probe different properties of jet-medium interactions and to understand better the polarization induced by the transverse and longitudinal expansions of the medium.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Solid neon as a noise-resilient host for electron qubits above 100 mK
Solid neon can be used as a solid host for single-electron qubits. At temperatures of around 10 mK, electron-on-solid-neon charge qubits exhibit long coherence times and high operation fidelities. However, a systematic characterization of the noise features of such systems is needed for the development of scalable quantum information architectures. Here, in this work, we show that solid neon can be used as a noise-resilient host for electron qubits above 100 mK. We examine the resilience of solid neon against charge and thermal noise when electron-on-solid-neon charge qubits are operated away from the charge-insensitive sweet spot and at elevated temperatures. We show that the extracted high-frequency charge noise density of electron-on-solid-neon qubits, projected as voltage fluctuations on nearby electrodes, is between 10 −4 μV 2 Hz −1 and 10 −6 μV 2 Hz −1 at 0.01 MHz to 1 MHz, which is comparable to common semiconductor hosts. We also show that the electron-on-solid-neon charge qubits operating at frequencies of around 5 GHz can maintain echo coherence times of over 1 μs at temperatures up to 400 mK.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Methanol mixing−controlled compression ignition enabled via homogeneous charge compression ignition of dimethyl ether through catalytic decomposition of methanol
Methanol is a potentially attractive fuel for marine and off−road engines owing to its availability at bunkering and global distribution locations. Although methanol is well−distributed worldwide, its fuel chemistry and ignition properties make it poorly suited as a direct drop−in replacement for diesel fuel in compression−ignition engines. However, industrial processes are regularly used to convert methanol, via catalytic dehydration, to dimethyl ether (DME) over nonprecious metal catalysts. This chemical conversion can occur at relatively low pressures, temperatures, and catalyst space velocities, highlighting a potential opportunity to generate DME via onboard catalytic dehydration of methanol. DME’s fuel kinetic and ignition properties for compression ignition are much more favorable than those of methanol or even diesel fuel, but DME is more challenging than diesel fuel or methanol to pump, store, and deliver through conventional diesel fueling injection hardware. Thus, a potential opportunity exists to use the ignition and kinetic properties of DME, with the transportation and delivery advantages of methanol, in a methanol−fueled mixing−controlled compression−ignition engine. The present work explores performance, combustion behavior, and emissions reduction opportunities for methanol mixing−controlled combustion, enabled by a HCCI of DME that represents a small fraction of the total fuel energy that can be generated onboard via catalytic dehydration of methanol.
Splitter, Derek [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000174044047)↗
From Pollutant Removal to Renewable Energy: MoS2-Enhanced P25-Graphene Photocatalysts for Malathion Degradation and H2 Evolution
The widespread presence of pesticides—especially malathion—in aquatic environments presents a major obstacle to conventional remediation strategies, while the ongoing global energy crisis underscores the urgency of developing renewable energy sources such as hydrogen. In this context, photocatalytic water splitting emerges as a promising approach, though its practical application remains limited by poor charge carrier dynamics and insufficient visible-light utilization. Herein, we report the design and evaluation of a series of TiO2-based ternary nanocomposites comprising commercial P25 TiO2, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), with MoS2 loadings ranging from 1% to 10% by weight. The photocatalysts were fabricated via a two-step method: hydrothermal integration of rGO into P25 followed by solution-phase self-assembly of exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets. The composites were systematically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity was assessed through two key applications: the degradation of malathion (20 mg/L) under simulated solar irradiation and hydrogen evolution from water in the presence of sacrificial agents. Quantification was performed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and thermal conductivity detection (GC-TCD). Results showed that the integration of rGO significantly enhanced surface area and charge mobility, while MoS2 served as an effective co-catalyst, promoting interfacial charge separation and acting as an active site for hydrogen evolution. Nearly complete malathion degradation (~100%) was achieved within two hours, and hydrogen production reached up to 6000 µmol g−1 h−1 under optimal MoS2 loading. Notably, photocatalytic performance declined with higher MoS2 content due to recombination effects. Overall, this work demonstrates the synergistic enhancement provided by rGO and MoS2 in a stable P25-based system and underscores the viability of such ternary nanocomposites for addressing both environmental remediation and sustainable energy conversion challenges.
Chemistry↗
Rapid Assessment of Sulfate Resistance in Mortar and Concrete
Extensive research has been conducted on the sulfate attack of concrete structures; however, the need to adopt the use of more sustainable materials is driving a need for a quicker test method to assess sulfate resistance. This work presents accelerated methods that can reduce the time required for assessing the sulfate resistance of mixtures by 70%. Class F fly ash has historically been used in concrete mixtures to improve sulfate resistance. However, environmental considerations and the evolving energy industry have decreased its availability, requiring the identification of economically viable and environmentally friendly alternatives to fly ash. Another challenge in addressing sulfate attack durability issues in concrete is that the standard sulfate attack test (ASTM C1012) is time-consuming and designed for only standard mortars (not concrete mixtures). To expedite the testing process, accelerated testing methods for both mortar and concrete mixtures were adopted from previous work to further the development of the accelerated tests and to assess the feasibility of testing the sulfate resistance of mortar and concrete mixtures rapidly. This study also established criteria for interpreting sulfate resistance for each of the test methods used in this work. A total of 14 mortar mixtures and four concrete mixtures using two types of Portland cement (Type I and Type I/II) and various supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) were evaluated in this study. The accelerated testing methods significantly reduced the evaluation time from 12 months to 21 days for mortar mixtures and from 6 months to 56 days for concrete mixtures. The proposed interpretation method for mortar accelerated test results showed acceptable consistency with the ACI 318-19 interpretations for ASTM C1012 results. The interpretation methods proposed for the two concrete sulfate attack tests demonstrated excellent consistency with the ASTM C1012 results from mortar mixtures with the same cementitious materials combinations. Metakaolin was shown to improve sulfate resistance for both mortar and concrete mixtures, while silica fume and natural pozzolan had a limited impact. Using 15% metakaolin in mortar or concrete mixtures with Type I/II cement provided the best sulfate resistance.
Chemistry↗
High-Order Methods in NASA’s Next Generation of Computational Fluid Dynamics Tools
The missions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) routinely produce unique requirements and challenges for development and application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods. NASA presently embodies four distinct Mission Directorates: Aeronautics Research, Exploration Systems, Science, and Space Operations. These missions generate requirements for systems that operate in a wide variety of environments. They range from the high-speed flight of aerodynamically optimized vehicles operating in the earth’s atmosphere to spacecraft designed for missions that don’t favor aerodynamic optimization, some operating in the atmosphere of planets and planetary moons such as Mars and Venus or Saturn’s moon Titan. Systems supporting these vehicles, such as rocket and jet propulsion, reaction control systems, fluid and thermal transfer systems, etc. can also generate their own unique set of flow phenomena that challenge today’s CFD methodology. Through the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), NASA annually conducts state-of-the-discipline assessments in fifteen distinct engineering disciplines. These assessments are performed by the NASA Technical Fellows that lead Technical Discipline Teams (TDT) of recognized experts in these fifteen areas. In the Aerosciences discipline, three topics have been identified as the top challenges for the discipline: aero-plume interaction prediction, unsteady separated flows, and aerothermodynamic prediction. These challenge areas are defined by the Agency’s high-risk projects and problems on which the NESC is requested to perform independent testing, analysis, and assessments. When viewed as a whole, these tests, analyses, and assessments provide a clear view of the recurring technical challenges facing Agency engineers and researchers and can be used to guide future research and technology development. The present state-of-the-art in the application of CFD at NASA is the use of Reynolds-Averaged Navier- Stokes (RANS) solvers, primarily executed in a steady-state mode of operation. In isolated cases, Unsteady RANS (URANS) solvers have been employed when steady RANS solutions produce poorly converging or oscillating results or in cases, such as aeroelastic analysis, which require unsteady aerodynamic simulation. For most traditional external and internal aerodynamic flows, structured overset grids or unstructured grids are employed to minimize geometric modeling and grid generation times. Grid adaptation, primarily as a series of coarse-grain intermediate processing steps is also seeing use on particularly complex flow problems and configurations. In the case of aerothermodynamic flows, engineers have been forced to continue to employ structured grid techniques as the present unstructured grid methodology has proven inadequate in the prediction of surface heating. In the area of aero-plume interaction modeling, two-gas, frozen chemistry simulation is generally the state-of-the- art, with some production solvers capable of predicting flows with only a single gas component. Prediction of flows falling into the afore-mentioned top Aerosciences technical challenges have severely stressed the present state-of-the-art in CFD prediction and for some problems, such as unsteady separated flows and aero-plume interaction cases, engineers have begun employing Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Hybrid RANS/LES techniques. In some isolated aero-propulsion interaction cases, chemically reacting flow simulations have been applied. These methods are highly evolutionary and engineers have little experience in their application, so they cannot be heavily relied upon in today’s application environment. Therefore, this leads one to muse over which numerical technologies will be included in the CFD tools that will be employed 30 years in the future. This presentation will describe specific technical problems that have stressed NASA’s traditional CFD methods to their breaking point and will link these issues to the Agency’s top Aerosciences technical challenges. The discussion will then shift to the characteristics of future CFD solvers that will be required to attack these challenges and how these characteristics differ from the present state-of-the- art. High-order methods certainly appear to have a place in the development of future CFD tools and some of the physical characteristics of our most challenging problems suggest that high-order methods are the only way to effectively solve them. But there are some relatively severe implementation issues that face these methods, particularly in the area of general applicability and robust operation as an engineering tool. Desired characteristics of next-generation CFD solvers will be discussed and the author’s view of which emerging numerical technologies might be employed to address these attributes will also be presented
David M Schuster↗
Early Progress Toward the Feasibility of the Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Rocket
The Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Rocket (CNTR) is a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) concept designed to heat propellant directly by the reactor fuel. The primary difference between the CNTR concept and traditional NTP systems is that rather than using traditional solid fuel elements, the CNTR uses liquid fuel with the liquid contained in rotating cylinders by centrifugal force. If the concept can be successfully realized, the CNTR would have a high specific impulse (~1800 seconds) at high thrust, which may enable (i) viable near-term human Mars exploration by reducing round-trip times to 420 days and (ii) direct injection orbits for scientific missions to the Solar System outer planets and potentially Kuiper Belt objects. The CNTR could also use storable propellants such as ammonia, methane, or hydrazine at an Isp of ~900 seconds, enabling long-term in-space storage of a dormant system. Significant engineering challenges must be addressed to establish the technical viability of the CNTR. Research is presently underway to determine resolutions for these engineering challenges. In particular, research has begun on the analytical modeling and simulation of the two-phase heat transfer between the liquid metallic uranium fuel and the gaseous propellant. A paper was presented at the 2021 IAC which described these challenges and the study plan to address them. This paper describes the analytical and experimental progress to date toward resolving these challenges and establishing the engineering feasibility of the CNTR technology.
Nuclear Thermal Propulsion↗