Chinese nuclear engineers have discovered a critical inefficiency issue in Nasa’s lunar nuclear reactor design – but, they claim, minor structural adjustments could slash fuel consumption by 75 per cent while boosting power output and longevity.
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The findings, from a study led by Zhao Shouzhi, chief reactor designer at the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), have already been integrated into China’s lunar base reactor programme – a development that could tilt the ongoing moon race in Beijing’s favour.
China’s lunar reactor, as outlined in the team’s peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese journal Atomic Energy Science and Technology, can generate 40 kilowatts of electric power for more than a decade.
It leverages ring-shaped fuel rods and yttrium hydride moderators to overcome the limitations that plague traditional designs.
The dual-sided annular fuel rod – which can easily be produced by major nuclear companies including US firm Westinghouse – encases uranium dioxide pellets in stainless steel cladding, allowing simultaneous neutron moderation and heat dissipation on both inner and outer surfaces, according to Zhao and his colleagues.
Stable at extreme temperatures, the yttrium hydride moderator minimises the hydrogen leakage risks that destabilised earlier zirconium hydride systems.
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