3 ms·
I guess because airships were already out of fashion by the time the atomic age came, but a thermal airship where the heater is just a radioactive pile seems li
by jandrese 5y ago
I guess because airships were already out of fashion by the time the atomic age came, but a thermal airship where the heater is just a radioactive pile seems like a super simple design.
The enormous bulk of the airship is an advantage in this case, you can reduce the amount of shielding you need by keeping the radioactive stuff way off on one side of the vehicle and the people on the other. Of course it would still be a nasty cleanup effort if your airship crashes, and you have to deal with radioactive materials when landed or when doing maintenance. From a practical standpoint there are issues, but in theory the concept works.
- robonerd 5y agoA reactor powered thermal airship is a fascinating idea! I'm skeptical that it could work though. Some quick web searching suggests that 3 MW burners for hot air balloons is fairly typical. I'm not sure how light and powerful a reactor could be made, but wikipedia says the Convair NB-36H had a 1 MW air-cooled reactor weighing 16,000kg. That reactor definitely wouldn't work then, too heavy by far and not enough power output. But that was a prototype reactor in the 50s. Also, shielding seems like a big concern even if the reactor can be built light. To stop neutron radiation you need light nuclei like hydrogen, making water or concrete (containing water) popular choices. These are heavy and bulky though, not conducive to airships.
- jandrese 5y agoThat's why my consideration for shielding was mostly just distance. Certainly a concept for a time when people were more cavalier about radiation safety.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]