A flowing lithium coolant is used in the primary heat transport system to transfer heat from the reactor fuel pins to the thermoelectric power conversion modules. The primary heat transport system is arranged into twelve heat transport loops and one separate auxiliary cooling loop. The primary heat transport loop consists of piping, accumulators, thermoelectromagnetic pumps, thaw heat pipes, micrometeoroid protection, and other hardware. Core coolability during a loss-of-coolant accident is ensured by the auxiliary coolant loop which consists of in-core bayonet cooling tubes dispersed throughout the core. The thermoelectric power conversion modules convert the thermal energy, carried from the reactor by the flowing lithium coolant, directly to electric energy. Silicon germanium thermoelectric cells are built up into modules which are conductively coupled to the primary loop lithium heat exchanger through compliant pads. The heat rejection subsystem is also made up of twelve modules incorporating a lithium coolant and thermoelectromagnetic pumps. Waste heat is carried by the flowing lithium coolant to the conical radiator, which is located between the shield and payload. Finned, titanium heat pipes attached to the lithium radiator ducts reject the waste heat to space via radiation. At power levels below about 30 kWe, the secondary coolant loop can be eliminated by placing heat pipes on the cold side of the thermoelectric converters (Ref. 8). By eliminating the secondary loop, the power system mass can be reduced by 10 to 20%. This design is called the innovative SP-100.
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