ORNL pioneers a high-temperature furnace that can mimic the extreme heat and radiation conditions of space.
April 2, 2025
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed a new high-temperature testbed to advance research on nuclear thermal propulsion rockets.
Nuclear-powered rockets offer twice the efficiency of chemical rockets and could one day be used to transport a crewed mission to Mars.
Propelling Nuclear Thermal Propulsion R&D
ORNL pioneered a high-temperature furnace that can be placed close to a reactor core to mimic the extreme heat and radiation conditions that nuclear fuels and materials will encounter in space.
Researchers, including students from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the U.S. Military Academy West Point, recently used the specialized furnace to test a new zirconium carbide fuel and material coating developed at the lab using The Ohio State University Research Reactor.
The samples were irradiated for two days under repeated temperature cycles that reached nearly 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly twice the temperature of molten lava.
“Testing materials at exceptionally high temperatures is a first and a crucial step toward helping NASA mature and qualify nuclear fuels for manned space exploration using nuclear thermal propulsion technology,” said ORNL researcher Brandon Wilson.
What’s Next?
ORNL will conduct a post-irradiation analysis later this year to assess the performance of its zirconium carbide fuel coatings and will eventually scale up to test nuclear fueled experiments.
The new test bed will be a key asset for future experiments designed to help researchers identify materials for use in nuclear thermal propulsion rockets.
The irradiation testing at Ohio State University was supported by NASA and a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Super Rapid Turnaround Experiment award which grants researchers access to a network of partner institutions, resources, and facilities for up to 12 months to perform irradiation effects studies on nuclear fuels and materials at no cost.