Consider a nuclear fuel distribution in a solid core uranium fueled nuclear reactor which is chosen so that when in operation the difference between the wall temperature of the reactor and the gas total temperature is a constant. The maximum wall temperature is 3000 K and the hydrogen is heated ultimately from the cryogenic state to a total temperature of 2700 K at the exit. The reactor is powering a rocket that produces 300 kN of thrust for 30 minutes with a vacuum specific impulse of 900 seconds.
Using the properties of hydrogen and the expressions developed in class, determine the following:
(a) Reactor power required.
(b) Reactor volume.
(c) Reactor mass assuming a reactor density of 10,000 kg/m^3.
Please use the NERVA reference value for power density.