NUCLEAR REACTOR FOR SPACE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: power supplies for space vehicles. SUBSTANCE: proposed reactor for space nuclear power plant has fuel elements welded into coolant-passing tube sheets that form both inlet and outlet headers with gas cavities that separate them from environment at butt ends of reactor; it also has cylindrical shell with its external side deflector accommodating regulating cylinders provided with straps made of neutron absorbing material. Disposed outside of each regulating cylinder is cylindrical shell with two butt-end lids that form, together with regulating cylinder, pressurized cavity communicating on one end with outlet header of reactor through tubes and on other end, with branch connection for attaching liquid-metal pipeline of space nuclear power plant receiving tubes from annular cavity which is joined at the same time with reactor outlet header and with cylindrical shell of reactor vessel and thin-walled shell coaxially disposed on its external end. Gas space facing object protected against ionizing radiation of reactor houses disk of heavy radiation shielding component of uranium-238. Proposed reactor is distinguished by reduced temperature of regulating cylinders and temperature gradients in reactor vessel. EFFECT: enhanced service life of space power plant reactor and reduced energy of gamma-quanta escaping from reactor toward object shielded from ionizing radiation. 1 cl, 1 dwg