This quite small difference stems from the fact that, for nuclear turboelectric SPS of the 20 kWe class, the subsystems primarily affected by temperature or system efficiency levels, namely the heat exchangers and the radiator, only account for 14 to 27% of the total system mass, the reactor and shielding sizing being mainly dictated by criticality and dose attenuation criteria respectively, and the mass of the other subsystems (power conditioning,...) being quasi independent of the heat source temperature. It is worth noting that despite radical differences in technical options between the direct conversion and the liquid metal cooled systems, masses decrease about proportionally to the turbine inlet temperature: the increased mass of the epithermal gas cooled reactor compensating for the mass savings afforded by the direct cycle: no primary heat exchanger, and no thawing phase at start-up).
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