Abstract The specific mass (or mass per unit power) is a fundamental performance metric in space power systems. For surface power, a low specific mass reduces launch costs and lander size. For nuclear electric propulsion, a low specific mass enables fast transit within the solar system. Studies on specific mass have typically focused on point designs and have not adequately explored the design space and scaling of specific mass. This research explores the design space for radiatively cooled closed nuclear Brayton systems. Specifically, the key innovation in this work is to determine the scaling according to the maximum temperature capability and total power system power. When these two factors are analyzed together, the resulting analyses show a clear scaling for specific mass.

中文翻译：

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空间表面动力和核电推进应用中商业闭环布雷顿系统的温度和功率特定质量标度

摘要 比质量（或单位功率质量）是空间动力系统的基本性能指标。对于表面功率，低比质量可降低发射成本和着陆器尺寸。对于核电推进，低比质量能够在太阳系内快速传输。对特定质量的研究通常侧重于点设计，并没有充分探索特定质量的设计空间和缩放比例。这项研究探索了辐射冷却封闭核布雷顿系统的设计空间。具体来说，这项工作的关键创新是根据最高温度能力和电力系统总功率确定缩放比例。当这两个因素一起分析时，结果分析显示特定质量的清晰比例。