Nuclear energy was discovered decades ago. But while some applications found their way into
service, many potential developments surpassed modern technology. That is, until the 2020s.
As early as the post-World War 2 era,
the US Navy managed to harness nuclear power for naval propulsion, while the
Air Force dreamed of the possibilities of nuclear-propelled aircraft. However,
it was unimaginable to condense the enormity of nuclear power into a fighter-sized engine.
Today, an opportunity to develop the much-desired nuclear aircraft has opened, with the giant
Lockheed Martin leading the conversation. The company recently patented several designs for
what will likely change the future of aviation and the world alike: a miniature fusion reactor.
As Lev Artsimovic, father of the tokamak reactor, put it when asked about how soon nuclear power
will be commercially available: (QUOTE) “When mankind needs it, maybe a short time before that.”
Possibilities
Half a century ago, nuclear power was all the rage.
Back then, people would try to use it to power almost anything, including aircraft.
When mankind discovered nuclear fission and the vast amounts of energy it produced,
potential applications for fighters, bombers, and reconnaissance aircraft
that could perform on low doses of fuel became extremely attractive.
With it, such platforms would be able to stay airborne indefinitely.
But much to the military's dismay, atom-splitting reactors were simply
too risky to hurtle through the air at 50,000 feet. However, fission developments did find
their way into naval equipment, leading to modern nuclear-powered submarines and supercarriers.
Aviation efforts such as Project Pluto's nuclear SLAM missile or the
Convair NB-36 nuclear-powered bomber seem ludicrous to today’s standards.
For one, Project Pluto's researchers estimated the SLAM missile would have obliterated anything
it passed over just from its unbearably intense noise, let alone the radiation.
Likewise, the NB-36 could have remained airborne practically
forever, but at the risk of causing a disastrous environmental accident.
Having already proven that fission and aviation didn't go together, renewed hopes emerged for a
nuclear-powered aircraft in 2018. This time, however, it would use the opposite process.
Inspiration
Much like fission, nuclear fusion is a physical process that produces immense amounts of energy
from atoms. However, the first involves splitting a large atom into smaller ones,
while the latter merges two light atoms to form a heavier particle.
Unlike its counterpart, fusion has no potential for meltdown,
but it does produce radioactive waste that would last 12 years.
Plus, fusion is predicted to be three or four times more efficient than fission.
Scientists have been able to detonate fusion reactions in controlled settings numerous times
in recent years. Even so, the endeavor's complexity lies in maintaining the energy
required to superheat the fuel, which amounts to millions of degrees Celsius.
Similarly, it is a challenging task to contain the resulting superheated reaction.
In its core, a fusion reactor must house indescribably hot plasma and
keep the heat steady to support the process.
This requires a colossal amount of energy - often more than the reactor itself can produce.
However, one aviation giant stepped up its game and has announced a development that will
likely revolutionize the industry. In the words of Lockheed Martin:
(QUOTE) "It's no secret that our Skunk Works team often finds itself on the
cutting edge of technology. As they work to develop a source of infinite energy,
our engineers are looking to the biggest natural fusion reactor for inspiration – the sun."
A Number of Applications
Nuclear fusion is a natural process that occurs inside the sun's core.
And like Lockheed Martin explained in 2018, their upcoming concept will mimic that process within
a so-called compact magnetic container. This way, the energy can be released in a controlled manner,
producing power that can actually be harnessed and employed constructively.
After decades of research, Skunk Works' approach has finally reached
the necessary maturity to consider it a high beta concept. In truth,
the newest iteration is expected to render the device ten times smaller than previous models,
using all of its potential or, in other words, a high fraction of the magnetic field pressure.
As a result, the company foresees it will be able to create fusion technology pretty quickly.
Notably, a smaller device requires less development and construction time.
But sooner rather than later, the company is expected to replace
a building-sized device with one that can fit in a truck.
As the company put it: (QUOTE) "We're creating a concept that can be contained using a magnetic
bottle. The bottle is able to handle extremely hot temperatures, reaching hundreds of millions
of degrees [...] The heat energy created using this compact fusion reactor will drive
turbine generators by replacing the combustion chambers with simple heat exchangers. In turn,
the turbines will then generate electricity or the propulsive power for a number of applications."
The potential uses of such a magnificent piece of engineering range from powering small
cities of up to 100,000 people to delivering clean energy and clean water to the masses.
Incidentally, the development could significantly speed up space travel.
In the short term, however, it is likely that new ships will be equipped with safe power plants.
And it probably won’t take long for aircraft to feature unlimited range and unmatched endurance.
The company itself affirmed it will develop a prototype within a five-year timespan.
And they’ve already got the patents.
A Simplified Design
Modern turbojet engines work under a basic premise: to suck in air from the front,
compress it, and ignite it with fuel as it passes through a turbine at temperatures of
about 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, producing thrust on its way out of the nuzzle.
Similarly, turbofan engines split the incoming air into two - one part goes into the core compressor,
while the rest activates the propeller and adds a bit more thrust and velocity.
However, the combustor part of the existing engines could be replaced
by heat exchangers to produce the same thrust with no fuel.
In 2018, Lockheed Martin patented what the company calls "Encapsulating Magnetic Fields
for Plasma Confinement." According to the official document, the machine will confine the reaction up
to 2,000 times better than any current system. Even more interestingly, the design will allow
for the construction of much smaller fusion reactors than previously thought possible.
The patent reads: (QUOTE) "Fusion reactor 110 has novel magnetic field configurations that
exhibit global MED stability, has a minimum of particle losses via open field lines,
uses all of the available magnetic field energy, and has a greatly simplified engineering design."
Today, turbojets and turbofans are standard engines in the commercial sector.
But Lockheed Martin's upcoming engine could revolutionize the aircraft industry altogether,
as the company claims it will be able to fit a fusion reactor inside an F-16.
The Job
The developers calculate that a single reactor could run continuously for a
year on merely 25 pounds of fuel and produce 100 megawatts of power.
Dr. Thomas McGuire, Head of the Skunk Works' Compact Fusion Project, explained:
(QUOTE) "The system is [...] regulated by a self-tuning feedback mechanism, whereby
the farther out the plasma goes, the stronger the magnetic field pushes back to contain it."
It would not be far-fetched to claim that aircraft
could go their entire service lives without ever refueling in the future.
Notoriously, long-duration bombing missions rely on
refueling rendezvous with tankers at precise locations. Besides,
tankers themselves are terribly vulnerable to enemy air defenses and airpower.
Currently, the Air Force burns around two billion gallons of fuel each year,
and extended bombing missions rely on refueling rendezvous with tankers at precise locations.
Such tankers are significantly vulnerable to enemy air defenses and airpower.
Indeed, the miniature reactor could drop that figure to near zero.
Marine veteran and defense analyst Alex Hollings believes flying without fuel is
just the beginning. Unlimited electrical energy could power an array of advanced directed energy
weapons and ground-breaking missile-defense systems. But even those ideas seem small.
Hollings ponders that everything from internal
space allocation to exterior shape, engine management,
or combat tactics would change if suddenly freed from their dependence on liquid fuel.
It shouldn't take long for the company to release more information about the technology,
but Hollings ponders that its first uses will likely manifest
in the secretive environment of Area 51 before becoming commercially available.
Besides, it is also possible that a reliable and efficient source of energy
could lead to a reduction of conflict around the world. As Hollings puts it:
(QUOTE) "The Department of Defense may just spend itself right out of the job."
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