Air Plasma engines

originally posted by: 1947boomer

originally posted by: chr0naut

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Blackfinger

*raises hand*

Where does the electricity come from?

Electric airplanes (ion jets or propeller driven) don't really seem to be feasible without some really good batteries. Or a really long extension cord.

I seem to remember that there were plans and even a prototype using an atomic (Thorium Liquid metal) reactor to power an aircraft?

Found it:

Aircraft Reactor Experiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think it was a Uranium molten salt reactor.

Looks like we're both wrong, from the Wikipedia article it was a Beryllium Oxide molten salt reactor. Doh!

originally posted by: Phage
Electric airplanes (ion jets or propeller driven) don't really seem to be feasible without some really good batteries. Or a really long extension cord.

Or a miniaturized LFTR...

I can't wait for these to be available for home/commercial use, so we can finally unplug from the grid and everyone can be fully independent energy wise.

"Our results demonstrated that such a jet engine based on microwave air plasma can be a potentially viable alternative to the conventional fossil fuel jet engine," lead researcher andWuhan University engineer Jau Tang said in a press release.

Do you think China will share this technology with us, like they shared the Wuhan flue with us?
Bolding is mine.

a reply to: Phage

Dude. Wind turbines. Once you get going on the extension cords, the wind turbines will sustain the engines.

I bet one of these babies could stay in the air forever.

originally posted by: billxam
a reply to: Phage

Dude. Wind turbines. Once you get going on the extension cords, the wind turbines will sustain the engines.

I bet one of these babies could stay in the air forever.

Yeah but you have to be careful, the sound of windmills causes cancer, apparently, not to mention all the the windmill fumes.

Tremendous fumes.

Big solar panels?

I remember reading that Russia actually built a nuclear plane. I think the crew had... uh, some medical issues later.

As far as the plasma engines they sound interesting, but as has been pointed out there is a powering problem. If they can increase the lift capacity far more than current jet propulsion I could see onboard generators becoming the energy source. Developments in other energy sources as well could make it viable. I recently watched a video that talked about lithium graphene batteries that are being tested and are showing a marked improvement to current batteries in use. I don't know if they would have the needed energy to power the engines, but it is a possibility.

Whether or not the plasma engines will have a use in the immediate future is impossible to tell, but I have no doubt that at some point in the future they will be a viable option. There could be other options that make sense as well. Humanity has made some crazy things like jet-powered trains and boats before so this may fill a nitch somewhere regular jets wouldn't do well with. Maybe something crazy like a nuclear-powered plasma jet driven warship could be feasible. Maybe we are one step closer to the avengers hellicarrier or something like it.

a reply to: Grimpachi

The US actually developed and successfully tested a nuclear ramjet engine intended for cruise missiles. The project was abandoned in 1964 because it was 'too provocative' in cold war environment.

See Project Pluto for more info

a reply to: Pilgrum

Yeah, I have read about that but they abandoned it for more than it being provocative. The thing leaked radiation as it flew.

If they had enough charge at startup (APU) they could use capacitors and batteries to hold it.When airborne an airflow driven generator can create it.Trick is the output needs to be less or equal to the charge coming in..

a reply to: Blackfinger

When airborne an airflow driven generator can create it.

Perpetual motion at last!
Hurray!

a reply to: Phage
Yeah man,drag and weight is such a downer..