Date of Award

2022

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Dr. Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration confronted the University of Rhode Island with a special task relating to the design of their new and innovative centrifugal nuclear thermal rocket concept. This spacecraft contains 19 centrifuges that rotate at high speeds to allow for uranium fuel to latch onto the outer surface inside the elements due to the centrifugal forces it is exposed to. The members of URI broke up into three teams and worked on various tasks. Team 19 was in charge of the slow-speed startup of the engine, Team 20 was responsible for the high-speed steady-state operation, and Team 21 took the lead in producing multiple educational models produced using CAD and 3D printing manufacturing which included all the primary components of the engine. The members gained knowledge on the topic through a literature and patent search, generated 30 design concepts, and evaluated those concepts against each other through a Pugh and quality function deployment analysis. Once this was complete, the top concept was decided and would be the main focus for the Fall and Spring semesters.

In the Fall semester, the top design concepts from all the teams were put to the test in a proof of concept. This process is a necessity to see if the solutions to the problem are viable or not. It was decided that the rotation of a single fuel element would be the main focus of the proof of concept among all teams. Two methods of rotation of the fuel element were sought after which included the use of a motor and air pressure. Teams 19 and 20 both worked together on producing the DC motor systems and the air pressurizing device that needed to be produced. Team 21 was responsible for 3D printing a centrifuge of appropriate scales that can be rotated without damage. Lastly, all teams contributed to the construction of an apparatus that houses all the components. The results that were gathered led to promising conclusions and would be the base for the remaining work for Teams 19 and 20, while Team 21 had a new job.

Beginning the Spring semester, Team 21 was tasked with producing a scaled-down 3D printed educational model that could be assembled and disassembled. The group edited the models from the previous semester in a way such that they could be printed without failure. Several test prints were performed and analyzed to see what issues arose. Brainstorming was done to find solutions to the problems and the CAD models were redesigned taking these changes into account. This process was iterated several times until the model met all specifications and was ready for the final print. While the prototype was printing, a new cross-section model was created so it can be used as a supplement to the original model. Team 21 hopes that the contributions made by the group can be used by NASA to educate the public on the new centrifugal nuclear thermal rocket concept in their monumental journey to send humans to Mars.

Comments

Team Name: Team 21, Team Rocket

Sponsor: NASA

Sponsor Representative: Dr. Michael Houts

Document Reference: URI-MCE-402-021-2022

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