A High Temperature Heat Rejection System for Fission Power Generation

As described in the NASA SBIR 2020 program solicitation, kilowatt-class fission power generation is an enabling technology for lunar and Mars surface missions that require day and night power for long-duration surface operations, and may be the only viable power option to achieve a sustained human presence.nbsp; Under the subtopic 2020-Z1.03 entitled Thermal Management, ThermAvant Technologies (ThermAvant) has begun development of an intermediate temperature, large format, high-capacity Oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP) embedded radiator panel to significantly improve the size, weight and power density of future kilowatt class Fission Power Systems (FPS).nbsp; This Phase II proposal aims to continue the development of thin profile radiator panels, e.g., greater than 1m2 scale x 2-3mm thick, to reject waste heat from the reactor system, and get the technology positioned for implementation.