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Quality is key: Investing in advanced nuclear research for tomorrow’s grid
As the energy sector faces mounting pressure to grow at an unprecedented pace while maintaining reliability and affordability, nuclear technology remains an essential component of the long-term solution. Southern Company stands out among U.S. utilities for its proactive role in shaping these next-generation systems—not just as a future customer, but as a hands-on innovator.
Christopher G. Morrison
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 8 | August 2020 | Pages 1224-1239
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1738173
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The specific mass (or mass per unit power) is a fundamental performance metric in space power systems. For surface power, a low specific mass reduces launch costs and lander size. For nuclear electric propulsion, a low specific mass enables fast transit within the solar system. Studies on specific mass have typically focused on point designs and have not adequately explored the design space and scaling of specific mass. This research explores the design space for radiatively cooled closed nuclear Brayton systems. Specifically, the key innovation in this work is to determine the scaling according to the maximum temperature capability and total power system power. When these two factors are analyzed together, the resulting analyses show a clear scaling for specific mass.