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Future aircraft could be powered by lasers and nuclear explosions if Boeing has its way. The aerospace firm claims a new-type of engine could produce energy-efficient thrust by firing lasers at radioactive material, such as deuterium and tritium. The technology could mean that planes and spaceships will require only a fraction of the power to operate, according to a recent patent filed by the company.
The engine outlined in the patent would work by using high-powered lasers to vaporize the radioactive material producing a fusion reaction.
'At least one laser is positioned to vaporizer the propellant with at least one laser-beam into a thrust producing flow,' the company wrote in the document.
The by-products of the process would be hydrogen or helium, which would leave the back-end of the plane creating thrust.
Meanwhile, the inside wall of the engine's thrust-er chamber will react with the neutrons created by the nuclear reaction.
Boeing Nuclear Laser Engine
The resulting heat can then be harnessed by placing a coolant on the sides of the combustion chamber.
The idea is to use this heat to produce electricity that can then drive the engine’s lasers.
Other than the radioactive material, the engine requires very little in terms of external energy.
Boeing’s Dreamliner is currently driven by turbofan engines that compress air and ignite fuel to create thrust.
But it's expensive. The 787-8 Dreamliner. for instance, uses roughly $24.53 (£15.97) worth of fuel per nautical mile flown
The latest application, approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office last week, was filed by Boeing's Robert Budica, James Herzberg, and Frank Chandler.
It is unclear when, if ever, Boeing plans to create a prototype of the engine.
http://www.asian-defence.net/search/label/Boeing Nuclear Laser Engine
The engine outlined in the patent would work by using high-powered lasers to vaporize the radioactive material producing a fusion reaction.
'At least one laser is positioned to vaporizer the propellant with at least one laser-beam into a thrust producing flow,' the company wrote in the document.
The by-products of the process would be hydrogen or helium, which would leave the back-end of the plane creating thrust.
Meanwhile, the inside wall of the engine's thrust-er chamber will react with the neutrons created by the nuclear reaction.
Boeing Nuclear Laser Engine
The resulting heat can then be harnessed by placing a coolant on the sides of the combustion chamber.
The idea is to use this heat to produce electricity that can then drive the engine’s lasers.
Other than the radioactive material, the engine requires very little in terms of external energy.
Boeing’s Dreamliner is currently driven by turbofan engines that compress air and ignite fuel to create thrust.
But it's expensive. The 787-8 Dreamliner. for instance, uses roughly $24.53 (£15.97) worth of fuel per nautical mile flown
The latest application, approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office last week, was filed by Boeing's Robert Budica, James Herzberg, and Frank Chandler.
It is unclear when, if ever, Boeing plans to create a prototype of the engine.
http://www.asian-defence.net/search/label/Boeing Nuclear Laser Engine
