Principles of Nuclear Rocket Propulsion

by William J. Emrich Jr.

Overview

Principles 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780323900300
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	03/23/2023
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	426
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Rocket Engine Fundamentals
3. Nuclear Rocket Engine Cycles
4. Interplanetary Mission Analysis
5. Basic Nuclear Structure and Processes
6. Neutron Flux Energy Distribution
7. Neutron Balance Equation and Transport Theory
8. Multigroup Neutron Diffusion Equations
9. Thermal Fluid Aspects of Nuclear Rockets
10. Turbomachinery
11. Nuclear Reactor Kinetics
12. Nuclear Rocket Stability
13. Fuel Burnup and Transmutation
14. Radiation Shielding of Nuclear Rockets
15. Materials for Nuclear Thermal Rockets
16. Nuclear Rocket Engine Testing
17. Safety Considerations for Nuclear Rocket Engines
18. Advanced Nuclear Rocket Concepts

Appendix
I. Table of Physical Constants
II. Thermodynamic Properties of Several Gases
III. Selected Data from NERVA Tests

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From the Publisher

The first book to offer an integrated discussion of rocket engine theory and nuclear reactor theory explores the physical principles underlying the design and operation of nuclear fission-based rocket engines, touching upon the novel nuclear pulse rocket concept