Ruiz, Kevin S. (2020) Diseño conceptual de micro-reactores de potencia / Conceptual design of nuclear micro-reators. Proyecto Integrador Ingeniería Nuclear, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Instituto Balseiro.
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Resumen en español
En el presente trabajo se desarrolla el diseño conceptual de un micro-reactor de potencia, orientado al abastecimiento energético de misiones espaciales. Los micro-reactores de potencia son compactos, confiables y resilientes, capaces de suministrar grandes cantidades de energía, por largos períodos de tiempo. El desarrollo de esta tecnología permitirá extender el alcance de la exploración espacial a niveles nunca antes alcanzados. Las potenciales aplicaciones de estos reactores incluyen: abastecimiento de rovers de exploración, sondas interestelares, colonias en Marte, puestos de avanzada en la Luna, entre otros. En lo que respecta a los aspectos técnicos, el núcleo se compone de un bloque cilíndrico de un material moderador con múltiples penetraciones para alojar barras combustibles y heat pipes refrigerantes. El moderador elegido es Hidruro de Circonio y como combustible se utilizó una aleación metálica de Uranio-Molibdeno. A diferencia de la gran mayoría de los diseños de micro-reactores espaciales, se optó por utilizar un enriquecimiento bajo, en particular 19.75 %. Esto permitiría evitar cualquier inconveniente político y normativo, en caso de querer adquirir un reactor de estas características. Durante el proceso de diseño, el reactor fue optimizado para priorizar la minimizaci ón del peso y una alta confiabilidad de los sistemas. La refrigeración se lleva a cabo mediante heat pipes de sodio o potasio, y la conversión de energía se efectúa utilizando generadores termoeléctricos, acoplados a un radiador. Esta combinación proporciona un alto nivel de confiabilidad, debido a que ambos sistemas son pasivos y con un elevado grado de redundancia. La potencia térmica del reactor se fijó en 50 KW y el ciclo de operación en 30 años. Se estima que la potencia eléctrica de salida alcanzará unos 5 KW, lo cual se considera suficiente como para alimentar un pequeño hábitat en Marte o un robot de exploración espacial.
Resumen en inglés
This work presents the conceptual design of a nuclear micro-reactor for space applications. Nuclear micro-reactors are compact, reliable and resilient energy generators, capable of supplying large amounts of power, for long periods of time. The development of this technology will take space exploration to levels never reached before. The potential applications of these reactors include: powering exploration rovers, interstellar space probes, colonies on Mars, outposts on the Moon, among others. Regarding the technical aspects, the core is made up of a cylindrical block of a moderating material, with multiple penetrations to accommodate fuel rods and cooling heat pipes. The chosen materials are: Zirconium Hydride for the moderator block, and Uranium-Molybdenum for the nuclear fuel. In order to avoid any political and regulatory issue, a low enrichment was considered, in particular, 19.75 %. This represents a remarkable difference with the vast majority of space micro-reactor designs, which tend to use 93% enriched nuclear fuel. During the design process, the reactor was optimized to prioritize weight minimization and high system reliability. The reactor cooling is carry out by sodium or potassium heat pipes, and the energy conversion process is achieved by using thermoelectric generators coupled to radiators. Both systems are passive, highly reliable and show a high degree of redundancy. The thermal power of the reactor was set at 50 KW and the operating cycle at 30 years. It is estimated that the electric output will reach around 5 KW, which is enough to supply a small habitat on Mars or a space exploration robot.
| Tipo de objeto: | Tesis (Proyecto Integrador Ingeniería Nuclear) |
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| Palabras Clave: | Design; Diseño; Power; Potencia; Space; Espacio; [Micro-reactor] |
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| Materias: | Ingeniería nuclear > Componentes y consideraciones de diseño de reactores |
| Divisiones: | INVAP |
| Código ID: | 925 |
| Depositado Por: | Marisa G. Velazco Aldao |
| Depositado En: | 11 Jun 2021 09:10 |
| Última Modificación: | 11 Jun 2021 09:10 |
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