- By:
- Rader, Jordan D; Smith, Michael B; Greenwood, Michael S; Harrison, Thomas J
- Page Number:
- 52
- Issue Number:
- 1
- Book Title:
- Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2019
- Publication Date:
- March 12, 2026
- Publisher Location:
- American Nuclear Society, Illinois, United States of America
- Conference Name:
- Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2019)
- Conference Location:
- Richland, Washington, United States of America
- Conference Sponsor:
- American Nuclear Society, Aerospace Nuclear Science and Technology Division
Abstract
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is participating in the nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) research and development effort supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This effort involves collaboration between multiple research groups, representing various government agencies and industry partners. ORNL has developed a Modelica-based modeling package for dynamic system modeling of nuclear reactors called the Transient Simulation Framework of Reconfigurable Models (TRANSFORM). While this software has been successfully demonstrated in simulations of traditional pressurized-water reactors, boiling-water reactors, liquid-metal reactors and molten-salt reactors, it has also been adapted for non-traditional use in modeling hybrid energy systems, and tritium transport. This versatility is being applied to the current NTP project, where specific modules within TRANSFORM are being developed for and applied to transient modeling of the NASA NTP design. This paper presents the current state of the ORNL-NTP model, the utility of TRANSFORM methodologies in NTP transient simulations, the ability to develop NTP-specific modules, and future work for the model.
