Electrolytic Method for Tungsten Coating of Uranium Oxide Spheres

Tungsten clad uranium dioxide spheres are deemed an enabling technology for nuclear thermal propulsion. Current research has mainly focused upon chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technologies to apply the tungsten cladding. Although good progress has been made with this technique, the process still requires improvements to lower the impurity content, increase throughput and lower operating cost, . Reactive Innovations, LLC (RIL) proposes to develop an electrolytic process for coating high purity tungsten metal onto uranium dioxide spheres economically. The process is performed at ambient pressure and is expected to provide a uniform, dense, and adherent coating. The Phase I effort will lead to demonstrating the electrolytic deposition of tungsten onto surrogate spheres. The coating will be evaluated for thickness, uniformity, and adhesion. A manufacturing cost model will be established for the process and a pathway to large scale economic production will be outlined. The Phase II effort is envisioned to further improve and characterize the coating's properties in terms of process capability, evaluate coated spheres in a suitable hydrogen environment, perform thermal cycling tests, scale the fabrication process, and provide coated material to NASA for evaluation.

The proposed technology's main focus is for use in producing fuel for nuclear thermal propulsion systems. These systems are more fuel efficient than chemical rockets and much lighter. This results in an enabling technology for long duration space flight (e.g. Mars) and the feasibility of multiple short duration flights (e.g. cargo trips to the moon). Additional benefits include limiting exposure of personnel and equipment to harmful radiation.

The proposed technology will find applications in automotive, aerospace, and military for wear resistant, corrosion resistant, or increased durability of their products. Items such as enhanced life drill or milling bits, improved armor, higher safety levels and corrosion protection in autos are a few examples of where the technology can be applied

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.