The discussion centers on the requirements for waste heat dissipation from a nuclear fission reactor aboard a spacecraft. Key factors include the size of the radiator, which is determined by the temperature and emissivity of the material used. In a vacuum, the maximum heat that can be dissipated is influenced by the Stefan-Boltzmann law, with space temperatures around 4 K. The effectiveness of the radiator must be balanced against the thermodynamic efficiency of the power conversion system employed.
PREREQUISITESAerospace engineers, thermal management specialists, and researchers in spacecraft design and nuclear power systems will benefit from this discussion.
The size of the radiator depends on the temperature and emissivity of the material.aquitaine said:So, hypothetically if we had a spaceship of some kind using a nuclear fission reactor for power, in order to dump the waste heat into space, how big of a radiator would be needed? How much heat, in watts, can be dumped per square meter of radiator in a vacuum?