A combined neutronic-thermal hydraulic model of a CERMET NTR reactor

Two different CERMET fueled Nuclear Thermal Propulsion reactors were modeled to determine the optimum coolant channel surface area to volume ratio required to cool a 25,000 lb_f rocket engine operating at a specific impulse of 940 seconds. Both reactor concepts were computationally fueled with hexagonal cross section fuel elements having a flat-to-flat distance of 3.51 cm and containing 60 vol.% UO₂ enriched to 93wt.%U²³⁵ and 40 vol.% tungsten. Coolant channel configuration consisted of a 37 coolant channel fuel element and a 61 coolant channel model representing 0.3 and 0.6 surface area to volume ratios, respectively. The energy deposition from decelerating fission products and scattered neutrons and photons was determined using the MCNP monte carlo code and then imported into the STAR-CCM+ computational fluid dynamics code. The 37 coolant channel case was shown to be insufficient in cooling the core to a peak temperature of 3000 K; however, the 61 coolant channel model shows promise for maintaining a peak core temperature of 3000 K, with no more refinements to the surface area to volume ratio. The core was modeled to have a power density of 9.34 GW/m3 with a thrust to weight ratio of 5.7.