Project Luna Succendo

The Lunar Evolutionary Growth-Optimized (LEGO)
Reactor Reactor is a modular, fast-fission, heatpipe-
cooled, clustered-reactor system for lunar-surface
power generation. The reactor is divided into
subcritical units that can be safely launched within
lunar shipments from the Earth, and then emplaced
directly into holes drilled into the lunar regolith
to form a critical reactor assembly. The regolith
not only would just provide radiation shielding, but
also would serve as neutron-reflector material. The
reactor subunits are to be manufactured using proven
and tested materials for use in radiation
environments, such as uranium-dioxide fuel,
stainless-steel cladding and structural support, and
liquid-sodium heatpipes. The LEGO Reactor system
promotes reliability, safety, and ease of
manufacture and testing at the cost of an increase
in launch mass per overall rated power level and a
reduction in neutron economy when compared to a
single-reactor system. Additional subunits may be
launched with future missions to increase the
cluster size and electrical power generation
according to desired lunar base power demand and
lifetime.

Autorentext

John graduated with his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Utah in 2008. He also holds a M.S. in Nuclear Engineering and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He currently works at the Idaho National Laboratory, with previous experience at the Center for Space Nuclear Research and the CENTER/NEP at the University of Utah.

Klappentext

The Lunar Evolutionary Growth-Optimized (LEGO) Reactor Reactor is a modular, fast-fission, heatpipe-cooled, clustered-reactor system for lunar-surface power generation. The reactor is divided into subcritical units that can be safely launched within lunar shipments from the Earth, and then emplaced directly into holes drilled into the lunar regolith to form a critical reactor assembly. The regolith not only would just provide radiation shielding, but also would serve as neutron-reflector material. The reactor subunits are to be manufactured using proven and tested materials for use in radiation environments, such as uranium-dioxide fuel, stainless-steel cladding and structural support, and liquid-sodium heatpipes. The LEGO Reactor system promotes reliability, safety, and ease of manufacture and testing at the cost of an increase in launch mass per overall rated power level and a reduction in neutron economy when compared to a single-reactor system. Additional subunits may be launched with future missions to increase the cluster size and electrical power generation according to desired lunar base power demand and lifetime.