Mobile Nuclear Reactors Could Provide Power and Jet Fuel for Military, DARPA Says
49 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Making U.S. Navy carrier groups and Army bases more self-sufficient and energy-efficient could mean turning to mobile nuclear reactors. The Pentagon's DARPA scientists have put forth the modest proposal of deploying miniature reactors to convert hydrogen and carbon into military jet fuel, as well as providing power, The Register reports.
That plan could fit well with the U.S. Navy's "Green Strike Group" concept for biofuel and nuclear-powered vessels. The Register points out that nuclear-powered aircraft carriers could make use of seawater to make JP-8 jet fuel from carbon dioxide and hydrogen, courtesy of work by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
This gets trickier for U.S. military land bases that lack easy access to carbon feedstocks or massive quantities of water, but DARPA does hint at making use of the sewage lakes that have accumulated next to some bases in Afghanistan. Still, trucking in huge amounts of water could prove unwieldy.
The U.S. military has already begun deploying green technologies that aim for self-sufficiency for reasons beyond environmental concerns -- running fuel convoys puts U.S. warfighters in harm's way of insurgent ambushes and roadside bombs.
DARPA ultimately hopes for portable nuclear reactors that can provide 5 to 10 megawatts of electricity and produce 15,000 gallons of JP-8 or road fuel every day -- about enough fuel to top off a Chinook helicopter a dozen times, according to The Register.
Perhaps the biggest technical challenge is creating such small nuclear reactors in the first place. But at least Microsoft founder Bill Gates and others have already begun backing plans for shrinking nuclear power to portable sizes.[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-03/mobile-nuclear-reactors-could-provide-power-and-jet-fuel-military-darpa-says[/url]
DARPA i swear to god, If i was a woman, I would have sex with every one of your members just so i stood a chance at bringing more of your awesome into the world.
Soon they will probably build a fully working Metal Gear REX.
:ninja:
Will this power my T-51B? :raise:
Tell me where I can buy one.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;21099563]Tell me where I can buy one.[/QUOTE]
I'm not sure they'd sell them used, seems like they've just been introduced.
This seems like a cool idea. Jet fuel is expensive nowadays.
Aren't there already many nuclear powered aircraft carriers?
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;21100181]Aren't there already many nuclear powered aircraft carriers?[/QUOTE]
There are, I think this was to create actual fuel for airplanes trough the nuclear powerplants on the ships or something.
DARPA's ideas are cool and all but have that actually made ANY of the things they say they will?
Well, they're already making Thorium reactors the size of bathtubs, how much smaller do they want them?
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;21100244]Well, they're already making Thorium reactors the size of bathtubs, how much smaller do they want them?[/QUOTE]
Pocket sized.
Hey kids! Are you tired of boring old life? Why not try: POCKET CANCER!
This idea exists since the invention of nuclear reactors.. :| They dreamt about such things and promised "nuclear powered cars" during the Cold War.
[QUOTE=Crhem van der B;21100378]This idea exists since the invention of nuclear reactors.. :| They dreamt about such things and promised "nuclear powered cars" during the Cold War.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but this is actually happening, so your point is null.
Yay more irradiated detritus to spread on enemy soil...
Oh man, this is gonna be just like Fallout.
Imagine the enemy.
"FUCK. DO WE SHOOT THE JET DOWN AND LET THE NUKE GO OFF? OR LET IT KEEP FIRING ON US!?"
[QUOTE=Redcow;21101913]Imagine the enemy.
"FUCK. DO WE SHOOT THE JET DOWN AND LET THE NUKE GO OFF? OR LET IT KEEP FIRING ON US!?"[/QUOTE]
Submarine nuclear reactors have survived torpedo explosions, accidents, implosions, and the pressures at the bottom of the ocean with a 100% success rate. No nuclear reactor or weapon has ever "gone off" by accident.
Automatic panic over anything with the word "nuclear" in it is just sheer ignorance.
Nuclear power is the way of the future man... Nimitz class carriers have a range of well... however far you can go in 20 years
You're telling me they can't build them smaller and able to fit in people's day to day lives? Like large SUVs or even powering their house
And there have definitely been more explosions and accidents on regular diesel based ships than ones with Nuclear Reactors
Well, they did have that Ford Nucleon.
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Nucleon[/url]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/Ford_Nucleon.jpg/800px-Ford_Nucleon.jpg[/img]
The employees at DARPA should be the leaders of their own country. I would move there in a heartbeat.
[QUOTE=1/4 Life;21102395]The employees at DARPA should be the leaders of their own country. I would move there in a heartbeat.[/QUOTE]
You realize that even if programs like this aren't canceled, it's going to take decades for DARPA's military-only technology to trickle down to the civilian market and the rest of the world, right?
Most of this stuff is really cool, but still far off from mass production.
and this is why America is awesome :fsmug:
[QUOTE=FordLord;21102359]Well, they did have that Ford Nucleon.
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Nucleon[/url]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/Ford_Nucleon.jpg/800px-Ford_Nucleon.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
That looks like it's from Fallout 3.
As in it is.
ahaha if they make it so our carriers can create their own jet fuel from seawater well then im sorry rest of the world
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;21102962]You realize that even if programs like this aren't canceled, it's going to take decades for DARPA's military-only technology to trickle down to the civilian market and the rest of the world, right?[/QUOTE]
But they do trickle down, they always do
Cars are even getting HUDs and whatnot now
God, Who's the head of DARPA nowadays? Cause I just want to revel in their awesome due to the amount of cool shit we're getting and developing recently.