Abstract
The influence of radiators on space nuclear power system mass has been studied by determining this mass as a function of the parameter K R = radiator mass/ area. Four power-conversion schemes are considered: Brayton, Rankine, thermoelectric and thermionic, over the power range 200–1000 kW. The total system includes power processing equipment and the secondary radiator. The Brayton cycle becomes competitively light (improvements by factors up to 5), and the power range of interest for thermoelectric systems increases significantly with achievable values of K R . The power processor, secondary radiator and shield render present thermionic systems massive, so that other concepts promise lower mass if K R can be reduced to less than 0.5 kg/m 2.
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