Ultrahigh-Temperature Material Property Testing Above 2000C in Vacuum and Hot Hydrogen

During Phase II,USNC-Tech will procure, assemble, calibrate, and demonstrate a system capable of the mechanical evaluation of NTP materials in ultrahigh-temperature vacuum and prototypical atmospheric conditions. This effort will produce the first in-situ mechanical testing system that simultaneously combines ultrahigh-temperature testing, hydrogen, and material property data collection.To be constructed at USNC-Techsadvanced ceramics and materialsfacilityin Salt Lake City, UT,this testing systemwill be capable of materials evaluation under vacuum, hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon atmospheres at temperatures up to 2,700C (2,972K), featuring both contact and non-contact measurement methods for test data collection. Modern NTP systems must endure extremely high temperatures (2,500-3,000K) to maximize specific impulse and minimize mass. To reach higher temperatures, miniaturize reactor form factors, and maintain high power densities all without sacrificing safety designers and manufacturers of such systems must be able to complete rigorous ground testing campaigns at operational temperatures with similar environmental conditions.Existing experimental data does not adequately capture the dynamic characteristics of the extreme environments within advanced reactors.Breakthroughs in refractory and ceramic materials have enabled engineers to consider the use of high-performance fuel, moderator, and structural materials that were historically unavailable for use in heritage NTP systems. For relevant materials developed after earlier testing campaigns, noexperimentaldataexists.The successful construction of the proposed testing and evaluation infrastructure will enable performance verification of these materials in a prototypical environment. Without the proposed testing infrastructure, a variety of novel, high-performance materials will not reach the TRLs required for reliable infusion into target NTP-enabled missions. USNC-Tech is constructing a scalable, ultrahigh-temperature materials testing facility for space nuclear power and propulsion (SNPP) reactor core and fuel components. This testing facility will be capable of materials evaluation under vacuum, hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon atmospheres at temperatures up to 2,700°C (2,972K), featuring both contact and non-contact measurement methods for test data collection. Modern NTP systems must endure extremely high temperatures (2,500-3,000K) to maximize specific impulse and minimize mass. To reach higher temperatures, miniaturize reactor form factors, and maintain high power densities – all without sacrificing safety – designers and manufacturers of such systems must be able to complete rigorous ground testing campaigns at operational temperatures with similar environmental conditions. Without the proposed testing infrastructure, a variety of novel, high-performance materials will not reach the TRLs required for reliable infusion into target NTP-enabled missions.  Building off the design work completed in Phase I, USNC-Tech will procure, assemble, calibrate, and demonstrate a system capable of the mechanical evaluation of NTP materials in ultrahigh-temperature vacuum and prototypical atmospheric conditions. This effort will produce the first in-situ mechanical testing system that simultaneously combines ultrahigh-temperature testing, hydrogen, and material property data collection.  Procurement and Assembly  Procurement and receipt of equipment  Preliminary assembly of short-lead equipment and facilities preparation   Final assembly of system  Calibration and Verification  Calibration and verification of temperature and strain measurements, and induction heating Demonstration  High-temperature baseline demonstration (2000 ⁰C)  Ultrahigh-temperature demonstration (2700 ⁰C)  This ultrahigh-temperature mechanical property test rig will be constructed at USNC-Tech’s Salt Lake facility and will be co-located with USNC-Tech’s advanced ceramics and materials team. The final report will document the calibration/verification and demonstration results. 

Ultrahigh-temperature testing of NTP materials in a prototypical environment is critical to the safe development of the NTP engines NASA will use to transport astronauts to Mars. This facility will increase the national capacity for static hot hydrogen testing by 50% and will be the only facility designed with a materials characterization frame that features contact and non-contact strain measurement capabilities. NASA will be able to study how hydrogen embrittlement affects materials at-temperature as well as the elastic modulus of ceramics.  This testing facility is critical to USNC-Tech’s product development and overarching commercialization plans, specifically the maturation of the fuels, moderators, and other materials within modern NTP systems. It will also support the high-temperature mechanical property testing needs of USNC’s development of the Micro Modular Reactor and its proprietary Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated fuel. 

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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