US Patent 11532404 Travelling wave reactor for space exploration

A travelling wave reactor for a space exploration. A reactor core of the travelling wave reactor is dispersed into several modules in a travelling wave direction; a new reactor is sequentially provided with a starting source module and a plurality of new fuel modules at zero burnup; all the modules are coaxially assembled in the travelling wave direction by means of an assembling parts, and each module further includes a heat pipe; the heat pipe in each module positioned at a front part sequentially passes through all the modules positioned at a rear portion thereof and extends out of the module at a rear end; and after a period of time of burn-up, the reactor core of the travelling wave reactor is provided with the starting source module, a spent fuel module, a critical fuel module and the new fuel module sequentially in the travelling wave direction.