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Principles of Nuclear Rocket Propulsion
- 2nd Edition - March 11, 2023
- Author: William J. Emrich Jr.
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 0 0 3 0 - 0
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 0 0 3 1 - 7
Principles of Nuclear Rocket Propulsion, Second Edition continues to put the technical and theoretical aspects of nuclear rocket propulsion into a clear and unified presen… Read more
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Request a sales quotePrinciples of Nuclear Rocket Propulsion, Second Edition continues to put the technical and theoretical aspects of nuclear rocket propulsion into a clear and unified presentation, providing an understanding of the physical principles underlying the design and operation of nuclear fission-based rocket engines. This new edition expands on existing material and adds new topics, such as antimatter propulsion, nuclear rocket startup, new fuel forms, reactor stability, and new advanced reactor concepts. This new edition is for aerospace and nuclear engineers and advanced students interested in nuclear rocket propulsion.
- Provides an understanding of the physical principles underlying the design and operation of nuclear fission-based rocket engines
- Includes a number of example problems to illustrate the concepts being presented
- Contains an electronic version with interactive calculators and rotatable 3D figures to demonstrate the physical concepts being presented
- Features an instructor website that provides detailed solutions to all chapter review questions
Advanced undergraduate students, early graduate students, and professionals in the field of propulsion
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the second edition
- Chapter 1. Introduction
- 1. Overview
- 2. Historical perspective
- Chapter 2. Rocket engine fundamentals
- 1. Concepts and definitions
- 2. Nozzle thermodynamics
- Chapter 3. Nuclear rocket engine cycles
- 1. Nuclear thermal rocket thermodynamic cycles
- 2. Nuclear electric thermodynamic cycles
- Chapter 4. Interplanetary mission analysis
- 1. Summary
- 2. Basic mission analysis equations
- 3. Patched conic equations
- 4. Flight time equations
- Chapter 5. Basic nuclear structure and processes
- 1. Nuclear structure
- 2. Nuclear fission
- 3. Nuclear cross sections
- 4. Nuclear flux and reaction rates
- 5. Doppler broadening of cross sections
- 6. Interaction of neutron beams with matter
- 7. Nuclear fusion
- 8. Antimatter
- Chapter 6. Neutron flux energy distribution
- 1. Classical derivation of neutron scattering interactions
- 2. Energy distribution of neutrons in the slowing down range
- 3. Energy distribution of neutrons in the fission source range
- 4. Energy distribution of neutrons in the thermal energy range
- 5. Summary of the neutron energy distribution spectrum
- Chapter 7. Neutron balance equation and transport theory
- 1. Neutron balance equation
- 2. Transport theory
- 3. Diffusion theory approximation
- Chapter 8. Multigroup neutron diffusion equations
- 1. Multigroup diffusion theory
- 2. One group, one region neutron diffusion equation
- 3. One group, two region neutron diffusion equation
- 4. Two group-two region neutron diffusion equation
- Chapter 9. Thermal fluid aspects of nuclear rockets
- 1. Heat conduction in nuclear reactor fuel elements
- 2. Convection processes in nuclear reactor fuel elements
- 3. Nuclear reactor temperature and pressure distributions in axial flow geometry
- 4. Nuclear reactor fuel element temperature distributions in radial flow geometry
- 5. Radiators
- Chapter 10. Turbomachinery
- 1. Turbopump overview
- 2. Pump characteristics
- 3. Turbine characteristics
- Chapter 11. Nuclear reactor kinetics
- 1. Derivation of the point kinetics equations
- 2. Solution of the point kinetics equations
- 3. Decay heat removal considerations
- 4. Nuclear reactor transient thermal response
- 5. Nuclear rocket startup
- Chapter 12. Nuclear rocket stability
- 1. Reactor stability model using the point kinetics equations
- 2. Reactor stability model including thermal feedback
- 3. Thermal fluid instabilities
- Chapter 13. Fuel burnup and transmutation
- 1. Fission product buildup and transmutation
- 2. Xenon 135 poisoning
- 3. Samarium 149 poisoning
- 4. Fuel burnup effects on reactor operation
- Chapter 14. Radiation shielding for nuclear rockets
- 1. Derivation of shielding formulas
- 2. Radiation protection and health physics
- Chapter 15. Materials for nuclear thermal rockets
- 1. Fuels
- 2. Uranium enrichment techniques with historical perspective
- 3. Moderators
- 4. Control materials
- 5. Structural materials
- Chapter 16. Nuclear rocket engine testing
- 1. General considerations
- 2. Fuel assembly testing
- 3. Engine ground testing
- Chapter 17. Safety considerations for nuclear rocket engines
- 1. General nuclear safety considerations
- 2. Risk assessment
- 3. Acceptable risk
- Chapter 18. Advanced nuclear rocket concepts
- 1. Pulsed nuclear rocket (Orion)
- 2. Open cycle gas core rocket
- 3. Nuclear light bulb
- Problems
- Appendix I. Table of physical constants
- Appendix II. Thermodynamic properties of several gases
- Appendix III. Selected data from NERVA tests
- Index
- No. of pages: 426
- Language: English
- Edition: 2
- Published: March 11, 2023
- Imprint: Butterworth-Heinemann
- Paperback ISBN: 9780323900300
- eBook ISBN: 9780323900317
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William J. Emrich Jr.
William J. Emrich, Jr. has worked as a senior engineer at NASA Marshall Center for almost 35 years investigating numerous advanced propulsion concepts for travel in deep space. Most recently he worked as the project manager and principal investigator of the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) which is a one of a kind facility that he developed to recreate the harsh operating environments present in operating nuclear rocket engines and where now nuclear rocket fuel elements are tested to their limits to evaluate their survivability. In 2015, as a result of his efforts in developing the NTREES facility he became only the second Marshall employee to win the AIAA Engineer of the Year award. To acknowledge this award, the city Huntsville, Alabama designated the day he received the award as William Emrich day. Now retired from NASA, he is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he teaches a course in nuclear rocket propulsion and mentors young engineers seeking to pursue a career in that field. William Emrich is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of California and is a fellow in the American Society Mechanical Engineers and an associate fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
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