Power is taken from the fuel cell banks and processed through power conditioning equipment for use on the weapon platform or other type user. Heat rejection. Heat rejection from the reactor is with Nb-lZr liquid metal heat pipes operating at 1032 K. Heat rejection from the fuel cells is by cooling the water vapor effluent in large, flexible bag radiators. The bag radiators are of three different sizes and operate at 390 K, 403 K and 453 K. Both radiator systems can be seen in the overall system layout shown in Fig. 23. Rockwell System description. Rockwell developed a liquid metal cooled, Rankine cycle nuclear reactor system using sodium-sulfur batteries for burst power to supply power in the 10s of MW for short periods of time. The reactor system is used to recharge the battery system after the power burst is completed. The reactor system has a primary and secondary liquid metal loop, with the secondary loop being a potassium Rankine cycle driving a metal vapor turbine for power conversion. Fig. 28 shows the overall system configuration. Figure 29 shows the system schematic for the reactor and the battery system. One of four secondary loops are shown in the schematic, of which three are required to carry out the design mission. Reactor. The reactor is a liquid metal (lithium) cooled fast reactor with a cermet core. Power is taken from the reactor and transferred to the secondary loops through a potassium boiler. Coolant is pumped through the system with electromagnetic (TEM) pumps. Figure 30 shows the reactor configuration and associated machinery. Turbine. A seven-stage (four high pressure, three low pressure) potassium vapor turbine operating at 1500 K is used in the power conversion system. The vapor is exhausted after passing the high pressure stages, being reheated and then reinjected into the low pressure stages. A rotary fluid management device (RFMD) is used to pump the secondary two-phase fluid in zero gravity. The RFMD utilizes the inertia of a rotating mass of fluid to separate the two phases and pump the fluid. The turbine operates in a standby at 75% of operational speed. Figure 31 shows the turbine for this application. Generator. This design uses a wound field, round rotor brushless-type alternator operating at 16 200 rpm. The alternator bearings are lubricated with hot potassium and lithium. The alternator is designed to operate in standby at 75% speed for the life of the system. Heat rejection. Heat is rejected from the secondary loop through carbon-carbon heat pipes operating at 1050 K. Auxiliary cooling loop radiators are carbon-carbon heat pipes operating at 785 K. A small amount of energy is rejected from the first stage rectifier through a carbon-carbon heat pipe radiator using water as a working fluid. Heat rejection from the batteries is by direct radiation to space by opening panels which expose the batteries to space.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==