This study addresses the design challenges of a proposed Micro Pulse Detonation Engine (MPDE), a micropropulsion system devised to meet the needs of smallsats . It focusses in particular on one subsystem of the proposed MPDE, the explosive delivery system, hereafter refered to as an ejector of granular materials. This study has three major goals: (1) evaluate different ways of building ejectors of granular materials in space, (2) propose a design for an ejector of granular materials that could eventually be used to achieve ejection rates of 10 kHz, and (3) evaluate the new designs performance. We thus begin by reviewing devices that have been built or proposed in the past for ejecting granular materials. Finding them lacking for the objectives of the present project, we evaluate several other different ways of achieving granule ejection in the zero gravity environment of space, based on other previous work with granular materials generally. We conclude that the artificial gravity induced within a spinning apparatus provides for many of the design requirements in a way that none of the other options do. We then go on to discuss the novel challenges a rotating ejector of solids faces, and propose a way of overcoming them. We present the design of the simplest concept we could come up with to achieve controlled ejection from the rotating device. Finally, the performance of this system is evaluated experimentally, using glass ballotini as the granular material. We find that we are able to demonstrate an ejection rate of 50 ejections per second with the device rotating at 10 rotations per second, with the possibility of attaining even higher ejection rates at higher rotational velocities. We conclude that this device demonstrates that there is a very great likelihood that future designs based closely on it will be able to achieve the desired 10 kHz ejection rate, which is the highest ejection rate at which the proposed MPDE can operate while remaining in the higher efficiency vacuum mode.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Eng.) -- Memorial University of Newfoundland. / Typescript. Bibliography: leaves 122-125. Also available online.

Thesis (MS)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2009. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Steven R. Shaw. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-65).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: l. 126-128.

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 188-190.

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 184-188.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 89 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-89).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-137).

If international agreements regarding the need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions are to be met then there is a high probability that the shipping industry will have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. For emission reductions from ships greater than around 40% then alternatives to fossil fuels - such as nuclear energy - will very likely be required. Whilst nuclear powered ships have successfully operated at sea for a number of decades, these have been primarily naval systems (or derivatives of naval systems such as icebreakers) and a few demonstration projects using reactors with low power outputs. The operational requirement for large civilian vessels (for example high capacity factors and limited personnel) mean the naval and past demonstration reactor systems are ill-suited for use in the current fleet of commercial container ships. There have been relatively few studies performed addressing the likely requirements upon core design a marine reactor would have to meet. This study addresses those issues and also implements a Pressurised Water Reactor core design capable of achieving these requirements. Furthermore, in order to simplify reactor operation for a limited number of personnel on board, the chemical reactivity control system has been eliminated during power operation. This has resulted in a novel low power density core that does not require refuelling for 15 years. The neutronic and fuel performance behaviour of this system has been studied with conventional UO2 fuel and thorium-uranium oxide ((Th,U)O2) fuel. With respect to (Th,U)O2 fuel there has been limited analysis comparing the performance of key fuel characteristics, such as fission gas release and thermal conductivity, as a function of uranium content in (Th,U)O2 fuel and their impact on fuel behaviour. Furthermore, the performance of neutronic codes for modelling Th-232 and U-233 from a variety of experiments using modern nuclear data libraries (post 1990) is lacking. Both of these issues are addressed in this study. Whilst it is frequently stated that thorium-based oxide fuel is superior to UO2 fuel it was found that due to the sensitivity of thermal conductivity on temperature and uranium content this was not true for the core designed in this study. The (Th,U)O2 core showed no net economic benefits with respect to the UO2 core and it was found that the fuel performance of (Th,U)O2 fuel was worse than the UO2 fuel in the reactor designed here. The UO2 core design, however, was able to satisfactorily meet the majority of requirements placed upon the system.