(4000-5000 K), energy conversion (2100-2500 K) and heat rejection (1600-2100 K) for MW space power systems. Gas core reactors (GCR) or vapor-fueled nuclear reactors offer the ultrahigh temperature capability to achieve the above objectives, a broad range of operating parameters, and the potential to couple to different power conversion schemes. Their characteristics result in a number of attractive features for space applications. These are listed in Table I. A review of the literature indicates that promising gas or vapor core reactor concepts required many technological breakthroughs before the concept's feasibility could be established. Under the sponsorship of SDIO/IST and the technical direction of AFWAL, INSPI has been conducting fundamental analysis of the phenomenology of this class of system. The conclusion of INSPI research is that vapor core reactors do offer promise for order-of-magnitude improvement in specific mass for space power. This conclusion was drawn on the basis of an initial conceptual design of a UF4-fueled vapor core nuclear reactor—the Ultrahigh Temperature Vapor Reactor (UTVR)—with MHD energy conversion, operating in a closed cycle Rankine power generating system using KF working fluid. The system is shown in Fig. 1 and discussed below. The T-S diagram for the cycle is shown in Fig. 2. 2.0 Ultrahigh Temperature Vapor Reactor-MHD Power Plants: Technical Features The dominant technical issue for multimegawatt power generation in space is a high effective heat rejection temperature. However, the design must consider the inverse relationship of both plant efficiency and radiator area to the heat rejection temperature. For the hundreds of MWe class power platforms, a radiator average temperature in the range of 1600-2100 K and a corresponding system efficiency of about 25% are needed to meet UTVR's specific mass performance criteria. To achieve both of these
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