Nuclear closed-cycle gaseous heat engine concept

Author

Ross, B.A. ; Drost, M.K.

Author_Institution

Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA, USA

fYear

1989

fDate

6-11 Aug 1989

Firstpage

2293

Abstract

A nuclear closed-cycle gaseous heat engine concept is presented in which mechanical or electrical power is produced from the fission of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆). The engine consists of a reaction chamber and piston, a regenerator, a cooler, and an expansion/compression cylinder and piston. The concept is envisioned to be useful for applications for which heat sources (fossil fuel) are not easily obtained, such as for remote terrestrial or space power generation. Potential advantages include simplicity, easily transportable fuel, and reliability. The major unresolved issues include corrosion, nuclear/thermodynamic interactions, and the relatively low operating speed of the engine

Keywords

electric power generation; fission reactor theory and design; heat engines; UF₆; cooler; electrical power; fission; mechanical power; nuclear closed-cycle gaseous heat engine; piston; reaction chamber; regenerator; reliability; remote terrestrial power generation; space power generation; Diesel engines; Engine cylinders; Heat engines; Heat transfer; Internal combustion engines; Neutrons; Pistons; Space heating; Stirling engines; Temperature;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, 1989. IECEC-89., Proceedings of the 24th Intersociety

Conference_Location

Washington, DC

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IECEC.1989.74794

Filename

74794