China, Russia and the United States are running to set up nuclear power plants on the moon. China and Russia in May Agreed to work together Complete a lunar atomic reactor by 2036In response, NASA’s interim chief Scene Dafi announced in August that the United States would track its lunar nuclear power program fast by 2030.
But this sudden frenzy raises some questions – like why do we want an atomic reactor on the moon in the first place? And how will they work? To find out, IEEE spectrum Said with Katy HuffAn atomic engineer and director of the Advanced Reactor Fuel Cycle Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Shampain. Huff first served as Assistant Secretary for nuclear power in the US Energy Department (DOE).
Why do nuclear reactors want the world’s largest space organizations on the moon, and what power they will give?
Katy Huff: Interest in having more constant presence of humans on the moon for scientific discovery is increasing. Resources such as Helium -3, which can act as a fusion fuel, may be part of the appeal. NASA is planning to form such a lunar exploration basis through this Aartitimis Programs, and China and Russia are working together to build one International lunar research centerAny such lunar base will require nuclear power. To meet the energy needs of life on the moon, renewal alone is very stalked. In addition, the cost of achieving things in space scales by mass, so the unmatched energy density of uranium fragmentation is our biggest opportunity.
Why is this a sudden race? What is urgency?
Huff: Speed started Fission surface power project In NASA, which a few years ago urged the designs for 40-fortovat lunar microorctors. Three designs were selected and awarded each $ 5 million. Since then, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions that a joint effort to design their own lunar microctor with a target launched in the mid -2013. In response, NASA is extending its timeline to the US reactor by 2030 and the target power capacity is increasing by 100 kW. Sean Dafi has publicly stated that if China and Russia are going to claim for a lunar power plant first, they could have been Announce a real fact-out zoneTo limit its base to limit the United States options. Therefore, America aims to claim an area with access to water snow before China and Russia, which supports life for astronauts.
Design lunar atomic reactors
What are the ideas to design atomic reactor for the moon?
surge: In very few gravity, fluids will not behave in the same way they do on earth. Therefore, the circulatory pattern will be required to renovate the circulation pattern for the fluid coolant of the reactor. And the large temperature swings of the moon, which vary from the lunar day to night, will require a reactor Use systems that are more isolated than those swings. On Earth, we easily remove waste heat because there are thermally stable heat sinks like water bodies.
What kind of reactor do NASA hope to choose it?
Katy Huff First served as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the Department of US Energy (DOE).Katy Huff
surge: It makes sense if NASA chose one of the three designs already selected for the fragmentation surface power program instead of starting from scratches. But with over-douling of target capacity, from 40 kw to 100 kw, it will include a redesign, as you don’t just turn on the knob. All three awards went Lockheed Martin,Bwxt, Westinghouse,Aerzete rocketdenAnd X-energy,BoingSome of them are developing microacteries that are based around trustractive isotropic (triso) fuel, which is a type of highly strong uranium fuel, so I hope that the lunar reactor will be designed using it. For coolant, I do not expect them to choose water, as the thermal properties of water limits the temperature range that can effectively cool it, which disrupts reactor efficiency. And I do not expect it to be liquid salt, as it can be corrosive, and this lunar reactor needs to work for 10 years without intervention. So I suspect that they will choose a gas like helium. And then for power conversion, NASA’s instruction clearly stated that a closed Breeton bicycle There will be a requirement.
What would transport and startup look like?
surge: The reactor will be made entirely on Earth and will be ready to go with fuel in place. My hope is that it will be taken with control elements that will be completely inserted into the reactor to prevent a series reaction from starting during transit. Once on the moon, a startup sequence will be started remotely or by astronauts. The rods of control then withdraw from the reactor, and a small neutron source like California -252 will close the source reaction.
A time limit of 2030 feels that the United States does not have a final design for reactor, nor a firm plan for a lunar base.
surge: Correct. The timeline appears ambitious. We will have a difficult time to receive a reactor of this scale posted as a prototype in the next four and a half years. A launch-redness and until then receiving on the moon is eventually a recipe for explaining why we did not complete the time line. And this can be a problem, with reputation, more than space exploration for nuclear power because people love NASA. Young children and grown up alike NASA wear T-shirts. Nobody wore a do T-shirt.
Risk of lunar reactor launch
What are the risks if something wrong with the launch?
surge: Beautifully, fresh uranium fuel does not offer a radiological threat to the way uranium will be spent. It is quite radioactive only after this fragmentation product is formed. So the danger is quite low until the reactor works before the launch. Even if the fuel was spread on the Earth, it would not be a significant danger to the people around it. I really have a sample of uranium sitting from my table. On top of it, is a strong launch security protocol already installed for any radiological object. Sending NASA to a plutonium thermoelectric generator has great experience with it, which are more like a nuclear battery for previous missions.
Things have gone wrong with some fragmentation reactors launched in the first space; What happened to those people?
surge: The largest fragmentation reactors launched in space were 5 KW Electric Pukhraj-I reactor which was part of the Soviet program. One of them was a serious incident and she broke. It is now in high classes in pieces, including some of its sodium coolats, which are floating around there in the form of liquid metal shells. But it does not affect the Earth because it is a small amount of radiological source materials at an incredible distance from the Earth. The more unfortunate phenomenon occurred with the Soviet Cosmos 954 reactor, which, after working in the classroom, experienced uncontrolled revival and disintegrated more than 600 km of the Canadian region.
What happens if an asteroid hits the moon or directly hits the Moon atomic reactor?
surge: A direct strike can damage the reactor and cause localized spread of fuel. This can be an inspiration to use triso fuel. It is very strong because fuel and fragmentation products are placed in thousands of spherical, chia seed -splashes that are coated in silicon carbide. It can withstand incredible effects and heat – beyond the temperature of the lava. Testing has shown that whenever it has been subjected 1,700 ° C summer for 300 hoursTriso retains its fragmentation products without any failure. So in the event that the reactor site has a dead-collision with a large asteroid, the debris of the reactor can be distributed in the dust of the moon, but all those small triso particles hope that it will remain intact.
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