Design and Stress Analysis of Extraterrestrial ... - The Black Vault

STRUCTURAL DIAGRAMS
AND DESIGN OF CONVERTERS
A thermionic converter combined with a reactor
fuel element
Figure 3.89 shows the design of such a converter. The fuel
* element combined with this converter is called the electrogenerating
element. As is seen from the figure, this element consists of
elements of the fuel element itself and elements of the converter.
The fuel element consists of the fuel pellets (for example,
UC) 1, the fuel shell 2, the neutron moderator 3, placed into a
pressurized cavity of two shells 4 and 5 and a reflector 6. The
radial reflector is not shown here but is made as an ordinary
* reflector of the reactor. Between the fuel shell and the reflector
is the converter which consists of cathode 7 ana its insulation 8,
anode 9 and its insulation 10.
The heat flow from the substance being divided heats the
cathode to 1300-20000C. The gaseous fission products of the fuel
during reactor operation are carried thrcugh the openings in the
pellets 1, the shell 2, and the commutation busbar 11 through the
nozzle 12 to the outside. The liquid metal (sodium, lithium)
washing the shell 4 of the fuel element maintains the temperature
of the anode within 600-800 0 C.
The anode and cathode, conn ed in series, have openings for
the passage of cesium vapors, which ensures the neutralization of
the space charge. Waste cesium through the opening in the reflectors
6 and the discharging jet 13 is carried from the housing.
Current from the extreme anode, by the commutation busbar 14
and rod 11; enters the commutation plate 15 installed in the reactor
tank on insulator 16.
The anode can be made from stainless steel, niobium; the cathode
from molybdenum, niobium; the commutation elements from beryllium
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