Rosatom produced fuel elements for nuclear reactors spacecraft Bashny.Net

The company TVEL "Machine Building Plant" (PJSC "MSZ", Elektrostal) passed acceptance of the first experimental batch of fuel elements (fuel rods) a nuclear power plant for deep space missions. During acceptance checked the documentation and the condition of the fuel elements themselves - size, appearance, integrity, etc.




Development energodvigatelnoy megawatt-class installation began in 2010, with the design of this technology allows us to produce and engines to 10 MW. The prototype has no analogues in the world of a nuclear power installation Rosatom expects to present in 2018.

The new site for the production of "space" of fuel rods in the MRZ is created in just one and a half years. "Now we can safely say that the new site allows you to make unique in its design and technology for the pilot fuel rods RUGK active zone [reactor plant gas space]," - said the engineer of PJSC "MSZ" Andrey Frolov

. Russian experts believe that a nuclear engine is best suited to send spacecraft to Mars and other planets, as well as for orbital missions, and others.

The nuclear reactor transport-energy plant heats the gas, that turns a turbine, generating electricity for the engine specific thrust is 20 times higher than the chemical. The structure includes energodvigatelnoy installation unit with turbomachine power conversion on the basis of gas-dynamic cycle of Brighton and a bunch of electric rocket engines. The power unit is a single-nuclear power plant based on high-temperature gas-cooled reactor.

Use in a nuclear reactor as a source of energy 30 times increases the available power spacecraft and an order of magnitude lower fuel consumption per unit of weight, the general director of "Center of Keldysh" Anatoly Koroteev.

Previously it was assumed to release a prototype in 2017. "Rosatom is developing a nuclear reactor, we (Roscosmos) - all the rest. I think that the prototype will come in 2017, and already there is need to make a decision - do lёtnuyu car or not. But as long as is necessary to make a prototype and its work on the ground ", - said in 2012, the head of Roscosmos Vladimir Popovkin. - Russia is the leader, despite the fact that there was stagnation, but a lot has been done in the Soviet era. This, for example, the power plant "Topaz». »

In the 1970s, the Soviet Union launched three dozen satellites equipped with nuclear power low-power plants. At the same time in Semipalatinsk held high power nuclear reactor test - IVG-1.



The reactor IVG-1 and component supply system

Now in this direction are renewed. In Russia, the world's first developed a technology for creating single-crystal of long tubes made of high-temperature alloys, for a unique engine developed and other original features. Chief designer of the nuclear power plant serves the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering (NIKIET) them. NA Dollezhal.