[WIP]Nuclear Salt Water Rocket dev thread

[MatterBeam]

So basically, large and heavy tanks that hold only small amounts of propellant despite their mass and size, and a relatively lightweight rocket engine. This, in addition to the engine not having a bottom attachment node, being bulky, and costing quite a fortune. Or, make the engines as expensive as the stock 3.75 m first-stage engine, but make the propellant tanks expensive and fragile. Didn't understand the bit about water circulation chamber, what would that be used for? Cooling?

Three parts for three functions:

1) A small Nuclear Saltwater fuel tank, holding water rich in uranium salts. To prevent accidental criticality, it will be run through with neutron poison rods.

The end result is a very dense and heavy fuel tank.

2) The water chamber contains the bulk of the propellant. This is the reaction material (water) that will be heated and shot out the back. There are strong convection currents running through it. Uranium salt-rich water is injected into a mass of 'light' water at the top. It is quickly diluted. Water circulation however carries the denser saltwater to a point at the bottom where it achieves criticality and massively heats up the water.

Excess hot water that isn't shot out of the nozzle recirculates along the walls and over the radiators to the top.

3) The reaction chamber. Very hot steam and some uranium salts fly out of this. It's purpose is to direct the hot propellant and not melt.

[shynung]

Hmm. I recall Zubrin's design to have only one propellant tank, filled with a 2% solution of uranium tetrabromide in water, 20% enriched. To prevent criticality while in the tank, the propellant tank is actually a bundle of pipes coated with boron carbine neutron damper. Due to the tank being a bundle of pipes, only 50% (my estimate) of effective internal volume is available to hold the propellant, resulting in heavy tanks.

The end result is something like a monopropellant rocket, but with heavy, low-capacity propellant tanks. Whose engine can't fire when there's an atmosphere, for balance purposes.

Anyway, new release is up on github. Tell me what you think.

[Nothalogh]

>engine can't fire when there's an atmosphere, for balance purposes

That's silly, since the place where this would excel is on Eve, it should simply cost reputation to operate while in career mode

[m4ti140]

I just looked up the specs of NSWR, holy hell, this thing is straight out of Star Trek

Good luck on this one, it's gonna be useful.

[shynung]

>engine can't fire when there's an atmosphere, for balance purposes

That's silly, since the place where this would excel is on Eve, it should simply cost reputation to operate while in career mode

I'd imagine this would shine in putting heavy loads onto Tylo instead. Also, you can have it fully-fueled straight out of the pad.