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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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Proving DRACO will deliver
The United States is now closer than it has been in over five decades to launching the first nuclear thermal rocket into space, thanks to DRACO—the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Orbit.
Yoshitaka Chikazawa, Mamoru Konomura, Shouji Uchida, Hiroyuki Sato
Nuclear Technology | Volume 152 | Number 3 | December 2005 | Pages 266-272
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3675
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A thermal source for hydrogen production is an attractive utilization of nuclear energy. Hydrogen production from natural gas is a promising method in an early stage of hydrogen society, though hydrogen production with water splitting without carbon dioxide emission is the final goal. Steam methane reforming is a well-known method for producing hydrogen from natural gas. A hydrogen separation membrane makes the reforming temperature much lower than that of the equilibrium condition, and a sodium-cooled fast reactor, which supplies heat at ~500°C, can be used as a heat source for hydrogen production.In this study, a hydrogen production plant with the membrane reforming method using a sodium-cooled reactor as a thermal source has been designed, and its economic potential is roughly evaluated. The hydrogen production cost is estimated to be about $1.67/kg, achieving the economic target of $1.7/kg. The construction cost is largely shared by the reformers' cost, and it can be decreased using a more efficient hydrogen separation membrane. This shows that steam methane reforming hydrogen production with a sodium-cooled reactor has high economical potential.