Even if the Mill's SunCell based power plant is destine to power autos as a prime application, the lack of fuel combustion would minimize violations, Ceramics might be a workable solution to higher efficiency.
On Thu, Nov 16, 2017 at 4:47 PM, <mix...@bigpond.com> wrote: > In reply to Axil Axil's message of Thu, 16 Nov 2017 15:54:21 -0500: > Hi, > [snip] > >The kilopower system runs at 800C at an efficiency of 38%. It delivers > heat > >from the nuclear fuel via sodium heat pipes. > > > >permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/lareport/LA-UR-17-21903 > > > >Would it be possible to use refractory material in the construction of the > >engine to get its operating temperature up higher? > > Possibly. At one point the Japanese(?) were designing/building a ceramic > car > engine to run at higher temperatures. Not sure what became of that, but I > suspect it wasn't tough enough to handle a continuous stream of mechanical > shocks. > [snip] > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk > > http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html > >
