Integral Neutron and Gamma Shield Material

A new class of material has been synthesized and demonstrated feasiblenbsp;at the laboratorynbsp;level, as a potentialnbsp;integral neutron and gamma shield for the Kilopower Project and other small fission reactor technologies under development.nbsp; The new material will have a competitive mass and volume-to-shielding effectiveness and offer a superior stable integral form as compared to the current best available technology discrete combinations -nbsp;Lithium Hydride or B4C and Tungsten or Depleted Uranium.nbsp; In the Phase II effort, optimization of the forming method will be completed, with an eye towards manufacturability of large geometry shields.nbsp; Radiation exposure testing of material samples will continue/expand from the Phase I testing that was completed, and be performed at the actual levels of the expected reactor environment.nbsp; Post-irradiation characterization will be performed on the samples for durability assessments.nbsp; Nuclear simulation models will be furthernbsp;optimized from the Phase I level, to guide the design of the shield geometry using the integral material.nbsp; By the end of the Phase II, anbsp;full-scale prototype shield section will be designed, manufactured, and delivered to NASA for hardware integration purposes.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;