My primary interest in the nuclear field is Space Nuclear Propulsion (SNP) in which a nuclear reactor can be used as a substitute for the chemical reaction in a rocket engine. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) is the process of a nuclear reactor heating a propellant that is then expanded, funneled, and expelled through the rocket nozzle to produce thrust. Nuclear thermal rockets provide higher fuel efficiencies, increased payloads, and shorter travel times than the chemical counterparts in use today. My previous work on this topic has been investigating the instrumentation and controls of the reactors used in the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA) and Rover programs. Both programs were the United States’ efforts at researching and developing a Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) for space application. During classes and other projects, my interests have shifted to the nuclear materials aspect of nuclear engineering. My goal is to investigate the tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel being pursued for advanced reactor concepts and apply these findings to NTR transients. NTRs host some of the most intense thermal and radiological environments throughout the numerous transients required for a space exploration mission; therefore, understanding the failure mechanisms and probability of the TRISO fuel during NTR operation is paramount prior to development. Utilizing the BISON code from Idaho National Laboratory, I plan to model and simulate the TRISO performance in advanced reactors using Weibull Statistics while performing a sensitivity analysis with Sobol Indices.
