Operation and safety analysis of space lithium-cooled fast nuclear reactor

As the power requirements for deep space exploration continue to increase, space nuclear power systems are imperative. In this paper, a set of models are established for the lithium-cooled space reactor com-bined with the Stirling engine. The space lithium-cooled reactor system is modeled, and the result of the steady-state is checked with the maximum relative error of 13.3%. Moreover, the characteristics under the unprotected reactivity insertion accident (URIA) and the unprotected loss of heat sink accident (LOHA) are obtained and analyzed. The results showed that: a) the solar heat flux cause the radiator tem-perature to fluctuate but has limited impact, b) under LOHA, the temperature of hot spot decreases rapidly from 1436 K to 1423 K, verifying the inherent safety of the system, c) under URIA, the hot spot temperature rises to 1546 K within 160 s. This work provides a solid basis for the design and analysis of space nuclear systems. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper establishes models for a space lithium-cooled reactor system combined with a Stirling engine, and analyzes its characteristics under different accidents. The results demonstrate the system's inherent safety and provide a solid basis for the design of space nuclear systems.