Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: MillCreek on May 03, 2018, 01:47:04 PM
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https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/03/608137119/nasa-tests-new-nuclear-reactor-for-future-space-travelers?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=science
When can I buy this at Home Depot and go off the electrical grid?
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https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/03/608137119/nasa-tests-new-nuclear-reactor-for-future-space-travelers?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=science
When can I buy this at Home Depot and go off the electrical grid?
You have to go to Mars and dig one up.
How much radiation is emitted with this thing?
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You can have the STY (Stirling Technology) part now if you want. Just have to wait around for a decent chunk of uranium alloy to make the heat. Well that and probably a few more parts. ;)
bob
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This is too sciencecy and we all know nukes are badthings, so is there anything that utilizes unicorn power?
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"STY (Stirling Technology)"
(Holy cow. Is that acronym for STirling technologY or Stirling TechnologY?)
I'm really surprised that more effort hasn't been put into direct conversion methods, like TCY (Thermocouple teChnologY. I guess the main problem there isn't the source of heat (SOH), but rather, the source of cold (SOC). :)
Stirling engines and their generators have wearing parts. Which wear out.
I guess the trick with STY (holy cow) is to match the radioactive/heat production decay(RHPD) with the wearing-out time function (WOTF).
Terry, 230RN
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^^^^^^MTCFM.
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The picture in the article shows a KRUSTY that appears to be quite a bit larger then a paper towel roll, unless they are using Oompa-Loompas and the Lollipop Guild to do the assembly.
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"STY (Stirling Technology)"
(Holy cow. Is that acronym for STirling technologY or Stirling TechnologY?)
I'm really surprised that more effort hasn't been put into direct conversion methods, like TCY (Thermocouple teChnologY. I guess the main problem there isn't the source of heat (SOH), but rather, the source of cold (SOC). :)
Stirling engines and their generators have wearing parts. Which wear out.
I guess the trick with STY (holy cow) is to match the radioactive/heat production decay(RHPD) with the wearing-out time function (WOTF).
Terry, 230RN
You're thinking in terms of domestic terrestrial car engine and powertrain "wearing out".
When aerospace engineering and budgets are involved, I suspect that very high end materials and things like non-contact air bearings, magnetic bearings etc. will come into play. Also thermoelectric generation has basic physical limitations that fall short of what mechanical heat conversion can do. And it's a hard limit, thermoelectric can't be pushed past a certain point, and "more research" or "better materials" won't help, or so I recall
We need the birdman signal.. IIRC he did work on a nuclear-Stirling powered "1000 AU" long parallax observatory probe that was also an interstellar precursor test mission. I'm pretty sure he expected the Stirling engine to last several decades.
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You're thinking in terms of domestic terrestrial car engine and powertrain "wearing out".
When aerospace engineering and budgets are involved, I suspect that very high end materials and things like non-contact air bearings, magnetic bearings etc. will come into play. Also thermoelectric generation has basic physical limitations that fall short of what mechanical heat conversion can do. And it's a hard limit, thermoelectric can't be pushed past a certain point, and "more research" or "better materials" won't help, or so I recall
We need the birdman signal.. IIRC he did work on a nuclear-Stirling powered "1000 AU" long parallax observatory probe that was also an interstellar precursor test mission. I'm pretty sure he expected the Stirling engine to last several decades.
Not only did I work on that, but I worked with the actual guys making this (Dave Poston) on an earlier heat pipe cooled reactor when I was at LANL.
Stirling last can last a really long time. Hell, there are some Stirling cryocoolers that have been running for decades. No sliding or rotating bearings (the oscillating parts are supported by flexures) can last pretty much forever.
As for a birdman signal...ask Rev to text me..
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The Swedes have a Stirling-powered sub that is so quiet it got through the defensive screen of one of our fleets and "sunk" a carrier.