NUCLEAR REACTOR FOR SPACECRAFT Russian patent published in 2021 - IPC G21C15/00 

FIELD: nuclear power plant reactors.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to nuclear power plants/units for spacecraft. The reactor contains a body (1) with a core (4) and fuel assemblies (5) (FA) installed to prevent the formation of a critical mass of fissile material, characterized in that at least part of the FA (5) are located outside the core (4 ) outside the housing (1), where the fuel assemblies (5) are placed in individual capsules (11) equipped with an emergency means (12) for safe descent and a transmitter (13) for determining the location, while the fuel assemblies (5) are made with the possibility of automatized or automatic loading into the core (4) of the reactor when the spacecraft reaches the radiation-safe orbit.

EFFECT: increase in safety while simplifying the process of transporting the reactor on the ground and when launching a spacecraft into orbit, reducing the likelihood of a chain reaction in the event of a fall of a launch vehicle with a spacecraft, improving the neutronic and thermohydraulic characteristics of the reactor and, as a consequence, its reliability and resource.

10 cl, 3 dwg