Nuclear propulsion

Under nuclear-powered refers to the propulsion of vehicles, aircraft, ships or spacecraft using nuclear energy. As nuclear reactors require extensive shielding because of their strong neutron radiation, nuclear power drives are not as compact constructed that they can be used in cars or trucks. They therefore remain larger vehicles reserved.

Because of their potential massive radioactive pollution in case of breakdowns and other incidents are nuclear power drives, not only because of the resulting high-level radioactive waste, as controversial. In recent years, therefore, in this respect research has been largely discontinued or severely restricted. This article therefore describes the - some now very outdated - state of research, or other theoretical considerations.

Radioisotope generators, which use the residual heat of certain atomic nuclei ( half-life), and produce over thermocouples from most electrical power, have found a certain spread, especially in the aerospace industry.

• 5.1 drive with reactor
• 5.2 Drive with nuclear bombs

Nuclear-powered ships and submarines

Usually pressurized water reactors are used with outputs of about 100 megawatts for the nuclear-powered ships and submarines. To produce steam which is fed to the steam turbine, driving the propeller either or generators and auxiliary equipment. Due to the high speed of steam turbines, however, the propeller can not be directly driven, mostly a transmission is required.

The nuclear-powered is mainly used for military ships and submarines, but there are also civilian ships with nuclear propulsion. This are or were the Soviet icebreaker Lenin, Arktika and Sibir, the German ore carrier Otto Hahn, the American Savannah, the Japanese Mutsu and the Soviet freighter Sewmorput. The Russian icebreaker Rossiya, Taymyr, Sowjetski Soyuz, Waigatsch, Jamal and 50 Let Pobedy are (2011) still in operation.

Nuclear-powered locomotives

Studies in the United States in nuclear powered engines were carried out, including X- 12th You should have nuclear reactors with complete cooling systems on board that generate electricity for the drive motors. Due to complicated design, these plans were discarded. Also in Germany of the 1950s the construction of approximately 35 m long Atomlok was considered by Krauss -Maffei center, the design was closely related to the well-known diesel locomotive V 200.

In principle, locomotives are driven to the axes mostly electric. The nuclear reactor had a generator for generating electric power driven, which in turn would have driven the driving motors to the axles. The power on board - similar to a diesel-electric locomotive - but causes high weight. In addition, such a motor-generator combination is not claimed as evenly as an external energy. However, the departure from the principle of the generation of electrical energy on board was mainly for cost reasons.

Nuclear-powered automobiles

In the 1950s, the concept of the Ford Nucleon, a car with nuclear power arose. Ford built by the vehicle only one model at a scale of 3:8 without reactor. This project is to classify as many other nuclear -powered designs this time against the backdrop of the then new nuclear technology and its still unknown but highly assessed potential for development.

2011 launched the Mars Mission Mars Science Laboratory with the unmanned Mars rover Curiosity. As an energy source is a radionuclide on board the vehicle.

Of nuclear-powered aircraft

Aircraft

In a nuclear- powered aircraft a compressor to be powered by a small lightweight reactor whose compressed air should be expelled from a nozzle then, with a propulsion would occur as a normal jet aircraft. In the U.S., made ​​various studies and experiments in the 1950s. A nuclear reactor was prepared and tested in a converted Convair B-36. The aircraft itself was, however, still driven conventionally. The experiments were set for security reasons.

In the former Soviet Union in 1961 several flights of Tu- 95LaL were carried out with a reactor on board. With the On - 22PLO followed in 1972 another project. With two aircraft only test flights were carried out to verify the radiation protection devices and the behavior of the reactors on board. A transfer of energy to power did not exist. Both projects have been set.

There were similar ideas, especially in the 1960s for airships, an atom airship was never built.

Other missiles

In the Pluto project a U.S. nuclear -powered cruise missile virtually unlimited range was developed 1956-1964 with great effort. A reactor heated Ramjet should carry the missile with Mach 3 at low altitude in the enemy's country, where he would attack up to 24 targets with H- bombs. The project was terminated after successful engine tests and the resolution of a number of technical problems after the Cuban missile crisis in 1964 - on the grounds that the project was too provocative ( "too provocative ").

Nuclear-powered spacecraft

Drive with reactor

With a driven nuclear reactors spacecraft hydrogen would be heated with the aid of a nuclear reactor at 3000 ° C and then discharged. Here, a backlash is generated as a normal rocket engine. Since in this case no hydrogen and combustion product is ejected, the specific impulse is very high. A one-stage nuclear- powered spacecraft could advance into orbit. In the U.S., such devices were investigated in the framework of the projects NERVA and Timber Wind.

The U.S. satellite snapshot used in 1965 for the first time a nuclear reactor in order to operate an ion engine.

Drive with nuclear bombs

If a sufficient safety distance from a parabolic reflector, a small nuclear bomb is detonated in a vacuum, you can push with the help of the resulting radiation pressure a spacecraft. Because in space there are no pressure waves, the reflector does not need to be too massive. With such a spacecraft could traverse the solar system in principle. In the U.S., there was the late 1950s, such studies as part of the Orion project.