Assessment of a hot hydrogen nuclear propulsion fuel test facility

Subsequent to the announcement of the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), several studies and review groups have identified nuclear thermal propulsion as a high priority technology for development. To achieve the goals of SEI to place man on Mars, a nuclear rocket will operate at near 2700K and in a hydrogen environment at near 60 atmospheres. Under these conditions, the operational lifetime of the rocket will be limited by the corrosion rate at the hydrogen/fuel interface. Consequently, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has been evaluating requirements and design issues for a test facility. The facility will be able to directly heat fuel samples by electrical resistance, microwave deposition, or radio frequency induction heating to temperatures near 3000K. Hydrogen gas at variable pressure and temperatures will flow through the samples. The thermal gradients, power density, and operating times envisioned for nuclear rockets will be duplicated as close as reasonable. The post-sample flow stream will then be scrubbed and cooled before reprocessing. The baseline design and timetable for the facility will be discussed. 7 refs.