5 ms·
Isn't it actually designed for working on Mars? Convection in the sodium heat pipes wouldn't work in zero G. > generate heat that is carried to the Stirling co
by linuxguy2 8y ago
Isn't it actually designed for working on Mars? Convection in the sodium heat pipes wouldn't work in zero G.
> generate heat that is carried to the Stirling converters via passive sodium heat pipes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilopower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilopower
- asteli 8y agoThe wiki page you linked specifically mentions deep space applications as a design goal. I'm not sure about the sodium heat pipes but the alcohol vapor heat pipes you see in electronics typically use an internal wick to return the working fluid.
- rbanffy 8y agoWorst case scenario is you put the reactor next to the toilet, in the rotating part of the spacecraft, to solve the problem with convection... These two things are enormously simplified when there is gravity.
- mcguire 8y ago"Worst case scenario is you put the reactor next to the toilet..." Please don't give any ideas to our collective employers.
- jfrankamp 8y agoWould you mind backing up the assertion about convection being the mechanism of sodium transport? e.g. on earth are you saying the sterling part wouldn't work if the hot fluid had to traverse say down (a gravity gradient) instead of up?
- rbanffy 8y agoThe Stirling converters will need a heatsink which can connect to an actively circulated coolant even in zero g. Thanks for the article.
- InclinedPlane 8y agoConvection still works in zero g, it's just driven by pressure gradients instead of density gradients.