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Uranium Arc is an uranium plasma core confined in electric arc, where fission reactions rise temperature up to 9000°K.
It is proposed as an afterburner for a classical solid core nuclear thermal rocket.
http://www.google.it/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=& … 5928,d.bGQ
Teorically a 9000°K gas core afterburner, can rise the exaust velocity of a classic NERVA to 18 km/s using hydrogen, 8.3 using ammonia and 7.3 km/s using water. The last can be a very interesting option for wild refueling.
Last edited by Quaoar (2014-02-28 08:06:53)
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Interesting concept! Thanks.
Just guessing here, but I'd guess not all the propellant can be arc-heated. If the ionization level is too high, a simple C-D nozzle expansion cannot convert that energy to kinetic energy. There might be some sort of MHD thing that might do it, though. Pretty far afield from what I do know.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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Something like a magnetic nozzle?
Even a gas core engine needs a magnetic nozzle or it can goes with a traditional nozzle?
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I don't honestly know, Quaoar. I'm not sure a "magnetic confinement" nozzle would do any better than a physical one. I'm not sure how big this loss is. But I would think it might be possible to use MHD to extract some of the ionization energy out before the stream goes to nozzle expansion, and then feed that energy back in somewhere else, where it might do some good.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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