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Kilopower first step to safe and power nuclear fission for space and other applications

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Dr. David Poston, Los Alamos National Laboratory talks about the simple and safe NASA Kilopower Project.

KRUSTY showed that developing a small reactor is not inherently expensive.
– A new reactor concept was designed, fabricated and tested for less than $20M.
* KRUSTY demonstrated a space reactor concept that can be used for near-term space science and exploration.

KRUSTY/Kilopower is the first step towards truly astounding space fission capabilities.

The early stage system can reach 10,000 watts and weigh 1500 kilograms. This is almost 7 watts per kilogram.

They are working on a 2 Megawatt electrical power heat pipe nuclear reactor that would weigh 35-45 tons.

2 megawatt heatpipe reactor

75 thoughts on “Kilopower first step to safe and power nuclear fission for space and other applications”

  1. That’s strange; I had a reply to this pointing out that CANDU reactors would be easy to build on Mars, given the likely plentiful pitchblende deposits, and that Martian water is already enriched with deuterium. But now it’s gone. Vuukle, you’ve got one job, having shed almost all the functions expected of a comment system. Don’t blow it.

  2. That’s strange; I had a reply to this pointing out that CANDU reactors would be easy to build on Mars given the likely plentiful pitchblende deposits and that Martian water is already enriched with deuterium. But now it’s gone.Vuukle you’ve got one job having shed almost all the functions expected of a comment system. Don’t blow it.

  3. That’s strange; I had a reply to this pointing out that CANDU reactors would be easy to build on Mars, given the likely plentiful pitchblende deposits, and that Martian water is already enriched with deuterium. But now it’s gone.

    Vuukle, you’ve got one job, having shed almost all the functions expected of a comment system. Don’t blow it.

  4. I’m not so sure they wouldn’t be able to build nukes early. Mars will have hydro-thermal ores in abundance, so they should be able to find some good pitchblende. Thanks to long term hydrogen loss, deuterium levels in Martian water are up to 7 times higher than on Earth, and further enriching the water ought to be relatively easy, heavy water enrichment is just distillation. All this adds up to it being easy to build CANDU style heavy water reactors, running on unenriched Uranium, on Mars. Mind, with the people on Earth being a bit paranoid about nuclear, the first native Martian nuclear reactors might be built on the sly.

  5. I’m not so sure they wouldn’t be able to build nukes early. Mars will have hydro-thermal ores in abundance so they should be able to find some good pitchblende. Thanks to long term hydrogen loss deuterium levels in Martian water are up to 7 times higher than on Earth and further enriching the water ought to be relatively easy heavy water enrichment is just distillation.All this adds up to it being easy to build CANDU style heavy water reactors running on unenriched Uranium on Mars. Mind with the people on Earth being a bit paranoid about nuclear the first native Martian nuclear reactors might be built on the sly.

  8. Very true – but it also won’t be practical to build a nuclear reactor in situ for quite some time. A colony would want to move as fast as possible to making most of the mass for expanding their power generation system locally, so only key components have to come from Earth. Nuclear power isn’t a good target for early local fabrication – the colony’s capabilities will likely be too limited. Concentrated solar power seems like something an early colony could partially fabricate locally after not too much time on Mars. After a few years, Earth might only be supplying a fraction of the solar power component mass for power generation expansion. With a nuke providing baseload power for nights, the solar would power less critical operations during the day – such as producing methane and oxygen for rockets and vehicles and emergency power.

  9. Very true – but it also won’t be practical to build a nuclear reactor in situ for quite some time. A colony would want to move as fast as possible to making most of the mass for expanding their power generation system locally so only key components have to come from Earth. Nuclear power isn’t a good target for early local fabrication – the colony’s capabilities will likely be too limited.Concentrated solar power seems like something an early colony could partially fabricate locally after not too much time on Mars. After a few years Earth might only be supplying a fraction of the solar power component mass for power generation expansion. With a nuke providing baseload power for nights the solar would power less critical operations during the day – such as producing methane and oxygen for rockets and vehicles and emergency power.

  10. There was a student design concept as a mod of the NASA DRM mission design, using a segmented phased array split/wrapped around the LH2 tank of a bimodal NTR used on cargo runs to Mars (and thus not bringing crew back) then deployed as a nice flat single array. This fires a much higher frequency RF beam powered by the NTR in generator mode onto the lander, which deploys a thin film rollable solar array with rectenna built over it that originally wrapped the circumference of the lander (but under the reentry aeroshell). This provides backup solar power, but main power is still high power RF on the rectenna, and avoids having to land something like a kilopower unit on the surface. The mass trades were a little questionable, but having the ability to divert power to a rover made it operationally interesting.

  11. There was a student design concept as a mod of the NASA DRM mission design using a segmented phased array split/wrapped around the LH2 tank of a bimodal NTR used on cargo runs to Mars (and thus not bringing crew back) then deployed as a nice flat single array. This fires a much higher frequency RF beam powered by the NTR in generator mode onto the lander which deploys a thin film rollable solar array with rectenna built over it that originally wrapped the circumference of the lander (but under the reentry aeroshell).This provides backup solar power but main power is still high power RF on the rectenna and avoids having to land something like a kilopower unit on the surface. The mass trades were a little questionable but having the ability to divert power to a rover made it operationally interesting.

  12. I’m not so sure they wouldn’t be able to build nukes early. Mars will have hydro-thermal ores in abundance, so they should be able to find some good pitchblende. Thanks to long term hydrogen loss, deuterium levels in Martian water are up to 7 times higher than on Earth, and further enriching the water ought to be relatively easy, heavy water enrichment is just distillation.

    All this adds up to it being easy to build CANDU style heavy water reactors, running on unenriched Uranium, on Mars.

    Mind, with the people on Earth being a bit paranoid about nuclear, the first native Martian nuclear reactors might be built on the sly.

  13. Though… you don’t want to get TOO hot. As has been pointed out many times, getting rid of heat is difficult in space. Mars is not technically “in space”, but at only 0.6% of Atmospheric density, dumping heat is going to require a lot more effort than it does on Earth. And even on Earth people get into difficulty. (c.f. those Euro power plants that had to close down during peak heat events because they weren’t allowed to heat their cooling water to the point where it upset the fish.)

  14. Though… you don’t want to get TOO hot. As has been pointed out many times getting rid of heat is difficult in space.Mars is not technically in space””” but at only 0.6{22800fc54956079738b58e74e4dcd846757aa319aad70fcf90c97a58f3119a12} of Atmospheric density”” dumping heat is going to require a lot more effort than it does on Earth. And even on Earth people get into difficulty. (c.f. those Euro power plants that had to close down during peak heat events because they weren’t allowed to heat their cooling water to the point where it upset the fish.)”””

  21. Plus, whoever said $M is worth it for Briggs&Stratton magnitude power on earth? Cheaper to run a lawnmower engine on coconut whisky.

  22. Plus whoever said $M is worth it for Briggs&Stratton magnitude power on earth? Cheaper to run a lawnmower engine on coconut whisky.

  23. You do realize it is an unshielded reactor CONTROLLED BY NEUTRON LEAKAGE, right? Certainly not an APU for a yacht. A couple kilowatts are cheap on earth.

  24. You do realize it is an unshielded reactor CONTROLLED BY NEUTRON LEAKAGE right? Certainly not an APU for a yacht. A couple kilowatts are cheap on earth.

  27. Nah, I don’t like the idea of making humans dependent on ground based solar on Mars. Put an Areosynchronous SPS in place, with a view of the colony, and use rectennas. They’re more forgiving about thin layers of dust, and you’d still be getting power at night. Fear and Terror are handy sources of building material, once you’re using native resources.

  28. Nah I don’t like the idea of making humans dependent on ground based solar on Mars. Put an Areosynchronous SPS in place with a view of the colony and use rectennas. They’re more forgiving about thin layers of dust and you’d still be getting power at night. Fear and Terror are handy sources of building material once you’re using native resources.

  29. Efficiency in this instance means transmission efficiency. Transmission efficiency is how well something can move energy from point a to point b per unit of mass in the transmission system. Heat pipes should be very efficient since they absorb energy at one end with a phase change, move it to the other end, and release it with another phase change.

  30. Efficiency in this instance means transmission efficiency. Transmission efficiency is how well something can move energy from point a to point b per unit of mass in the transmission system. Heat pipes should be very efficient since they absorb energy at one end with a phase change move it to the other end and release it with another phase change.

  34. Very true – but it also won’t be practical to build a nuclear reactor in situ for quite some time. A colony would want to move as fast as possible to making most of the mass for expanding their power generation system locally, so only key components have to come from Earth.

    Nuclear power isn’t a good target for early local fabrication – the colony’s capabilities will likely be too limited.

    Concentrated solar power seems like something an early colony could partially fabricate locally after not too much time on Mars. After a few years, Earth might only be supplying a fraction of the solar power component mass for power generation expansion.

    With a nuke providing baseload power for nights, the solar would power less critical operations during the day – such as producing methane and oxygen for rockets and vehicles and emergency power.

  35. I think the answer was, and is the same for most of the power needs on Mars. Solar.” The Opportunity rover is unavailable for comment. Month long dust storms will kill a solar powered colony. Nukes. Nukes that dump waste heat in to a colony and keep people from turning to Martian ice statues. Nuclear power running 24.66/7/686.97 is what Mars needs. Waste heat is a valuable commodity on a frozen world. Solar needs too many batteries (mass), needs to use electricity to heat a colony, has problems with dust and problems with month long dust storms.

  36. I think the answer was” and is the same for most of the power needs on Mars. Solar.””The Opportunity rover is unavailable for comment. Month long dust storms will kill a solar powered colony. Nukes. Nukes that dump waste heat in to a colony and keep people from turning to Martian ice statues.Nuclear power running 24.66/7/686.97 is what Mars needs. Waste heat is a valuable commodity on a frozen world. Solar needs too many batteries (mass)”” needs to use electricity to heat a colony”” has problems with dust and problems with month long dust storms.”””

  37. The 1500 Kilo or smaller one would make yachts and small ships free of distance limits. Spare power would be funneled into batteries or used for thrust as well as running water makers, lights, cooking, refrigeration, and general onboard operations. For smaller vessels (45 ft to 100ft) the reactor can be used as replacement ballast as well as power. With such a power plant, small islands could become real havens.

  38. The 1500 Kilo or smaller one would make yachts and small ships free of distance limits. Spare power would be funneled into batteries or used for thrust as well as running water makers lights cooking refrigeration and general onboard operations. For smaller vessels (45 ft to 100ft) the reactor can be used as replacement ballast as well as power. With such a power plant small islands could become real havens.

  39. There was a student design concept as a mod of the NASA DRM mission design, using a segmented phased array split/wrapped around the LH2 tank of a bimodal NTR used on cargo runs to Mars (and thus not bringing crew back) then deployed as a nice flat single array. This fires a much higher frequency RF beam powered by the NTR in generator mode onto the lander, which deploys a thin film rollable solar array with rectenna built over it that originally wrapped the circumference of the lander (but under the reentry aeroshell).

    This provides backup solar power, but main power is still high power RF on the rectenna, and avoids having to land something like a kilopower unit on the surface. The mass trades were a little questionable, but having the ability to divert power to a rover made it operationally interesting.

  42. … all the way to the supercritical point … and then KABOOM. Its the nature of such liquids. The threat is there. Moreover, usually well before rupture, leaks develop. Once “leaked”, a heat pipe is a heat pipe no longer. Oxidation sets in, and the very properties that are so carefully manufactured-into-the-things is upended. Try to fix THAT on Mars! I think the answer was, and is the same for most of the power needs on Mars. Solar. LOTS of solar. Little robots to dust off the panels. Tiny ones, the size of your fist. Inventions of oil-free bearings that can be expected to work in Mars’ dusty environment for millions of revolutions. Probably precision ceramic! Anyway. Just thinking out loud. GoatGuy

  43. … all the way to the supercritical point … and then KABOOM. Its the nature of such liquids. The threat is there. Moreover usually well before rupture leaks develop. Once leaked””” a heat pipe is a heat pipe no longer. Oxidation sets in and the very properties that are so carefully manufactured-into-the-things is upended. Try to fix THAT on Mars!I think the answer was and is the same for most of the power needs on Mars. Solar. LOTS of solar. Little robots to dust off the panels. Tiny ones”” the size of your fist. Inventions of oil-free bearings that can be expected to work in Mars’ dusty environment for millions of revolutions. Probably precision ceramic!Anyway.Just thinking out loud.GoatGuy”””””””

  44. Nah. “really powerful people” argument — conspiracy conjectures — is bunkum. A poor person, anywhere in the Third World, can easily find a dozen or more eager installers of partially UN funded solar-PV power generation for rates far, FAR below that of micro-nuclear. Totally competitive with any grid-based power source. Moreover, with surprisingly “primitive” reprocessing, there are millions of lead-acid batteries that can be carefully deconstructed, reformed, and put back into service as PV 24 hr/day power storage devices. Moreover, tapping power directly from 2 or 3 lead-acid batteries (at 12 volts), will directly power all nature of cell phones, LED lights, other low-amp, low-volt devices. The “Standard of Living” appreciably rises when one has light at night, light in enclosed spaces, el-cheapo fans to exhaust houses of their accumulating and lung-destroying smokes and aerosols. Life is even better when access to the informational world is self-powered. Small machines can even be run … making an “export market” possible for indigenously produced goods. All from “power of the Sun”. Just saying. No conspiracies required. GoatGuy

  45. Nah. really powerful people”” argument — conspiracy conjectures — is bunkum. A poor person”” anywhere in the Third World can easily find a dozen or more eager installers of partially UN funded solar-PV power generation for rates far FAR below that of micro-nuclear. Totally competitive with any grid-based power source. Moreover”” with surprisingly “”””primitive”””” reprocessing”” there are millions of lead-acid batteries that can be carefully deconstructed reformed and put back into service as PV 24 hr/day power storage devices. Moreover tapping power directly from 2 or 3 lead-acid batteries (at 12 volts) will directly power all nature of cell phones LED lights other low-amp”” low-volt devices.The “”””Standard of Living”””” appreciably rises when one has light at night”” light in enclosed spaces”” el-cheapo fans to exhaust houses of their accumulating and lung-destroying smokes and aerosols. Life is even better when access to the informational world is self-powered. Small machines can even be run … making an “”””export market”””” possible for indigenously produced goods. All from “”””power of the Sun””””.Just saying.No conspiracies required.GoatGuy”””””””

  46. This could conceivably leapfrog distributed generation across much of the world. It won’t happen, because very powerful people (including fully capitalized infrastructure holders) wouldn’t want it to succeed. At least that’s the case in the US. India, China, Singapore, and other places might be able to take this and run. In the US, it will be confined to space-based applications or other “secure” locations.

  47. This could conceivably leapfrog distributed generation across much of the world. It won’t happen because very powerful people (including fully capitalized infrastructure holders) wouldn’t want it to succeed. At least that’s the case in the US.India China Singapore and other places might be able to take this and run. In the US it will be confined to space-based applications or other secure”” locations.”””

  48. because I imagine you could saturate heat pipes pretty easily by heating to the point where only a single phase exists. ” Not as easily as you think, because as the temperature goes up, the pressure goes up, raising the boiling point. If the right proportion of the pipe is filled with liquid, you’re looking at raising it all the way up to the supercritical point.

  49. because I imagine you could saturate heat pipes pretty easily by heating to the point where only a single phase exists. “”Not as easily as you think”” because as the temperature goes up the pressure goes up raising the boiling point. If the right proportion of the pipe is filled with liquid”” you’re looking at raising it all the way up to the supercritical point.”””

  50. Though… you don’t want to get TOO hot. As has been pointed out many times, getting rid of heat is difficult in space.
    Mars is not technically “in space”, but at only 0.6% of Atmospheric density, dumping heat is going to require a lot more effort than it does on Earth. And even on Earth people get into difficulty. (c.f. those Euro power plants that had to close down during peak heat events because they weren’t allowed to heat their cooling water to the point where it upset the fish.)

  51. Communicators aren’t necessarily good makers, and vice-versa. Me, I prefer an ugly slideshow that shows technical ability an gets the point across, than a beautiful one that is made of vapor and marketing platitudes.

  52. Communicators aren’t necessarily good makers and vice-versa. Me I prefer an ugly slideshow that shows technical ability an gets the point across than a beautiful one that is made of vapor and marketing platitudes.

  59. Nah, I don’t like the idea of making humans dependent on ground based solar on Mars. Put an Areosynchronous SPS in place, with a view of the colony, and use rectennas. They’re more forgiving about thin layers of dust, and you’d still be getting power at night. Fear and Terror are handy sources of building material, once you’re using native resources.

  60. Efficiency in this instance means transmission efficiency. Transmission efficiency is how well something can move energy from point a to point b per unit of mass in the transmission system. Heat pipes should be very efficient since they absorb energy at one end with a phase change, move it to the other end, and release it with another phase change.

  62. “I think the answer was, and is the same for most of the power needs on Mars. Solar.”

    The Opportunity rover is unavailable for comment. Month long dust storms will kill a solar powered colony. Nukes. Nukes that dump waste heat in to a colony and keep people from turning to Martian ice statues.

    Nuclear power running 24.66/7/686.97 is what Mars needs. Waste heat is a valuable commodity on a frozen world. Solar needs too many batteries (mass), needs to use electricity to heat a colony, has problems with dust and problems with month long dust storms.

  63. The 1500 Kilo or smaller one would make yachts and small ships free of distance limits. Spare power would be funneled into batteries or used for thrust as well as running water makers, lights, cooking, refrigeration, and general onboard operations. For smaller vessels (45 ft to 100ft) the reactor can be used as replacement ballast as well as power. With such a power plant, small islands could become real havens.

  65. … all the way to the supercritical point …

    and then KABOOM. Its the nature of such liquids. The threat is there. Moreover, usually well before rupture, leaks develop. Once “leaked”, a heat pipe is a heat pipe no longer. Oxidation sets in, and the very properties that are so carefully manufactured-into-the-things is upended. Try to fix THAT on Mars!

    I think the answer was, and is the same for most of the power needs on Mars. Solar. LOTS of solar. Little robots to dust off the panels. Tiny ones, the size of your fist. Inventions of oil-free bearings that can be expected to work in Mars’ dusty environment for millions of revolutions. Probably precision ceramic!

    Anyway.
    Just thinking out loud.

    GoatGuy

  66. Nah.

    “really powerful people” argument — conspiracy conjectures — is bunkum. A poor person, anywhere in the Third World, can easily find a dozen or more eager installers of partially UN funded solar-PV power generation for rates far, FAR below that of micro-nuclear. Totally competitive with any grid-based power source.

    Moreover, with surprisingly “primitive” reprocessing, there are millions of lead-acid batteries that can be carefully deconstructed, reformed, and put back into service as PV 24 hr/day power storage devices. Moreover, tapping power directly from 2 or 3 lead-acid batteries (at 12 volts), will directly power all nature of cell phones, LED lights, other low-amp, low-volt devices.

    The “Standard of Living” appreciably rises when one has light at night, light in enclosed spaces, el-cheapo fans to exhaust houses of their accumulating and lung-destroying smokes and aerosols. Life is even better when access to the informational world is self-powered. Small machines can even be run … making an “export market” possible for indigenously produced goods. All from “power of the Sun”.

    Just saying.
    No conspiracies required.

    GoatGuy

  67. This could conceivably leapfrog distributed generation across much of the world. It won’t happen, because very powerful people (including fully capitalized infrastructure holders) wouldn’t want it to succeed. At least that’s the case in the US.

    India, China, Singapore, and other places might be able to take this and run. In the US, it will be confined to space-based applications or other “secure” locations.

  68. “because I imagine you could saturate heat pipes pretty easily by heating to the point where only a single phase exists. ”

    Not as easily as you think, because as the temperature goes up, the pressure goes up, raising the boiling point. If the right proportion of the pipe is filled with liquid, you’re looking at raising it all the way up to the supercritical point.

  69. From slide 3: “Heat pipe are a very efficient way to move heat”. Efficiency is kinda the wrong word. Efficiency usually involves conversion or work vs. energy input. The intent of the statement seems wrong too, because I imagine you could saturate heat pipes pretty easily by heating to the point where only a single phase exists. Still, glad they got it tested. This Dr. poston should stick to building real reactors and leave the PowerPoint up to professionals.

  70. From slide 3: Heat pipe are a very efficient way to move heat””.Efficiency is kinda the wrong word. Efficiency usually involves conversion or work vs. energy input. The intent of the statement seems wrong too”” because I imagine you could saturate heat pipes pretty easily by heating to the point where only a single phase exists.Still”” glad they got it tested. This Dr. poston should stick to building real reactors and leave the PowerPoint up to professionals.”””

  71. Communicators aren’t necessarily good makers, and vice-versa.

    Me, I prefer an ugly slideshow that shows technical ability an gets the point across, than a beautiful one that is made of vapor and marketing platitudes.

  74. From slide 3: “Heat pipe are a very efficient way to move heat”.

    Efficiency is kinda the wrong word. Efficiency usually involves conversion or work vs. energy input. The intent of the statement seems wrong too, because I imagine you could saturate heat pipes pretty easily by heating to the point where only a single phase exists.

    Still, glad they got it tested. This Dr. poston should stick to building real reactors and leave the PowerPoint up to professionals.

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