NEW-GENERATION SPACE THERMIONIC NUCLEAR POWER SYSTEMS WITH OUT-OF-CORE ELECTRICITY GENERATING SYSTEMS

The basic problems of the development of long service life thermionic nuclear power systems for space applications for supplying power to transport power modules, intended for placing spacecraft in a geostationary orbit using electrorocket motors and for providing prolonged operation of onboard systems for up to 10–15 years, are examined. Concepts for power systems with multi- and single-element thermionic low-temperature energy-conversion systems, which are placed outside the reactor core and in which heat is delivered to the emitters using molybdenum-lithium heat pipes at 1600–1670 K, are discussed as an example. Computational results are presented for the electro- and thermophysical characteristics of electricity generating systems and power systems with different variants of the design-technological solutions, including the possibility of increasing the service life by reserving a part of the thermionic electrical power. The mass/size characteristics of the power systems with basic variants of the systems are obtained and recommendations based on research and development work are made, 8 figures, 8 references.