1 posted on
07/12/2015 5:15:55 PM PDT by
ckilmer
To: ckilmer
Boeing's new jet engine works by firing high-power lasers at radioactive material, such as deuterium and tritium.
The lasers vaporize the radioactive material and cause a fusion reaction — in effect a small thermonuclear explosion.
Hydrogen or helium are the exhaust byproducts, which exit the back of the engine under high pressure. Thrust is produced.
At the same time, the inside wall of the engine's thruster chamber — coated in uranium 238 — reacts with the high-energy neutrons produced by the nuclear reaction and generates immense heat.
The engine harnesses the heat by running coolant along the other side of the the uranium-coated combustion chamber.
This heat-energized coolant is sent through a turbine and generator that produces electricity to power the engine's lasers. Yes, lasers!
Other than the radioactive material, the engine requires very little in terms of external energy.
2 posted on
07/12/2015 5:21:05 PM PDT by
ckilmer
(q)
To: ckilmer
So the exhaust is not radioactive?
14 posted on
07/12/2015 5:46:49 PM PDT by
fella
("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
To: ckilmer
Boeing has a patent. I wonder what GE, Pratt & Whitney, or Rolls Royce will do in response. They must have known this was coming down the pike.
They must be doing their own R&D it would seem.
18 posted on
07/12/2015 6:25:34 PM PDT by
Paulie
(America without Christianity is like a Chemistry book without the periodic table.)
To: ckilmer
I have problems with an article that calls both Deuterium and Tritium Radioactive. . . only Tritium is radioactive and it is pretty innocuous.
23 posted on
07/12/2015 6:42:55 PM PDT by
Swordmaker
( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
To: ckilmer; big'ol_freeper; shove_it; TrueKnightGalahad; Larry Lucido; Diplomat; RockinRight; ...
Re:
Future aircraft could be powered by lasers and nuclear explosions if Boeing has its way. Gadzooks, I get the same results... 
from drinking Lone Star Draft--
Yet I do have to see the Doc... 
after a 3-day weekend.
25 posted on
07/12/2015 7:20:26 PM PDT by
Bender2
("I've got a twisted sense of humor, and everything amuses me." RAH Beyond this Horizon)
To: ckilmer
Going to pass on getting into a plane propelled by lasers being fired at nuclear fuel cells.
26 posted on
07/12/2015 7:32:29 PM PDT by
TruthWillWin
(The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples money.)
33 posted on
07/12/2015 8:03:41 PM PDT by
Lurkina.n.Learnin
(It's a shame nobama truly doesn't care about any of this. Our country, our future, he doesn't care)
To: ckilmer
Where are the dilithium crystals?
53 posted on
07/13/2015 9:06:48 AM PDT by
The Great RJ
(“Socialists are happy until they run out of other people's money.” Margaret Thatcher)
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
