Improved Efficiency in Nuclear Propulsion

Current nuclear propulsion technologies do not utilize the additional energy expelled as gamma ray radiation during nuclear fission. This results in the loss of 6.5% of the total fission energy, which could be used to improve propulsion capabilities. The NTAC Augmented Nuclear Electric Propulsion and/or Nuclear Thermal Propulsion design is more efficient than existing technology and captures an additional 6.5% (13.3 MeV) of radiation energy that is currently lost to radiation shielding. In this design the NTAC cell structure surrounds the TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel) bead-filled rocket chamber, covering all sides and the top of the chamber, therefore capturing additional energy. This structure allows one-way energy flow to then be expelled through the bottom cavity as exhaust gas <br> This technology is lower weight and less elaborate than current radiation shielded-propulsion systems. Equipping nuclear spacecraft systems with the NTAC Augmented Nuclear Electric Propulsion and/or Nuclear Thermal Propulsion design could reduce travel time to Mars by 50%. It has lower radar signatures compared to solar panels and could be used for systems that need to fly undetected, such as Earth observing satellites. Additionally, it has a lower noise output, which could have applications in reducing noise from submarine and aircraft carrier power systems. Innovators at Langley Research Center (LaRC) have developed a design and method to improve efficiency in nuclear propulsion technology for long-distance space missions. The nuclear thermionic avalanche cell (NTAC) Augmented Nuclear Electric Propulsion and/or Nuclear Thermal Propulsion design surrounds the rocket chamber and reactor core with an NTAC and safely converts gamma ray radiation expelled during nuclear fission processes, which would otherwise be lost to radiation shielding, into electric power to support additional propulsion. Compared to current radiation-shielded propulsion systems, this design is more efficient and lower weight, enabling faster nuclear propulsion travel. This technology potentially has a wide range of applications including nuclear power generation applications on Earth, and for unmanned vehicles, and commercial space exploration.