Table III. Principal US Space Nuclear Reactor Programs Power plant Purpose Power level Operating temp. (K) Period Type reactor Fuel Converter Development level Rover (includes NERVA) Propulsion 365-500 MWt 2450 1955-1973 Epithermal UC Twenty reactors tested. Demonstrated all components of flight engine >2 h. Ready for flight engine development. Fluidized bed reactor Propulsion 1000 MWt 3000 1958-1973 Thermal UC-ZrC Cold flow, bed dynamics experiments successful. Gaseous core reactors Propulsion and electricity 4600 MWt 10,000 1500 1959-1978 Fast Uranium plasma UF6 Brayton Successful critical assembly of UF6. SNAP-2 Electricity 3 kWe 920 1957-1963 Thermal Uranium zirconium hydride Mercury Rankine Development level. Tested two reactors with longest test reactor operated 10,500 h. Precursor for SNAP-8 and — 10A. SNAP-10A Electricity 0.5 kWe 810 1960-1966 Thermal Uranium zirconium hydride Thermoelectric Flight tested reactor 43 days. Tested reactor with thermoelectrics in 417-day ground test. SNAP-8 Electricity 30-60 kWe 975 1960-1970 Thermal Uranium zirconium hydride Mercury Rankine Tested two reactors. Demonstrated 1 year operation. Non-nuclear components operated 10,000 h and breadboard 8700 h. Advanced hydride reactors Electricity 5 kWe 920 1970-1973 Thermal Uranium zirconium hydride Thermoelectric and Brayton PbTe thermoelectrics tested to 42,000 h. SNAP-50 Electricity 300-1200 kWe 1365 1962-1965 Fast UN, UC Potassium Rankine Fuels tested to 6000 h. Advanced metal- cooled reactor Electricity 300 kWe 1480 1965-1973 Fast UN Brayton and potassium Rankine Non-nuclear potassium Rankine cycle components demonstrated to 10,000 h. Ready for breadboard loop. 710 gas reactor Electricity and propulsion 200 kWe 1445 1962-1968 Fast uo2 Brayton Fuel element tested to 7000 h. In-core thermionic reactor Electricity 5-250 kWe 2000 1959-1973 Fast or thermal driver uo2 UC-ZrC In-core thermionics Integral fuel element, thermionic diode demonstrated > 1 year operation. Nuclear electric propulsion Electricity 400 kWe 1675 1974-1981 Fast UO2 Out-of-core thermionics Limited testing on thermionic elements. SPAR/SP-100 Electricity 100 kWe 1500 1979-present Fast UN Thermoelectric Limited testing on core heat pipes and advanced thermoelectric materials.
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