Talk-Polywell.org

100MW nuke plant = 25MW (give or take) usable power. I would like you to meet my friend...Carnot.

The other issue is that magazine space for munitions storage does not equal space for a primary and secondary system in support of a nuke plant. If you gave up the Vertical Launch Modules, (and thus your beyond 200mile weapons for strike, as well as your air defence saturation attack weapons, you are getting in to the ball park space wise, but still a little short.
For arguments sake a 150MW plant could be cramed into a space about 30 feet across, and 90 feet long. That would give you space for about 4 to 6 steam turbine generators, and associated support gear. With this setup you would be using a VERY minor part of produced power from the core. And it is steady state power, whereas a railgun would need a 64MJ pulsed power source. So you would also have to include more space for the pulsing system, be it rotary or capacitor based, or a combo thereof.

DeltaV wrote:

zbarlici wrote:have you ever thought that perhaps they purposely tweaked the device to produce the bright plasma sor the puspose of a picture? how boring would it have been to the general public without the light

Recall the picture of a glowing plasma on the old EMC2 website, which specifically said it was a Helium plasma. It's probably a safe bet that they weren't trying to fuse Helium, but rather were seeking a visual demonstration of the magnetic field/wiffleball.

That's the reason I was asking in the other thread about whether you could tell anything from the color. I was wondering if the color might be a clue about whether it is deuterium or just helium.

ladajo wrote:100MW nuke plant = 25MW (give or take) usable power. I would like you to meet my friend...Carnot.

May be true for LWRs but MSR are expected to be closer to 45% efficient. Meet my friend "Brayton".

Pleased I am sure...

I agree, but given the current methodology of the navy program, they would probably go with what they know. It would add a lot of overhead to retool the training pipeline and stand up MSR than to stick with PWR. They would also want to build an MSR prototype and run it through the paces prior to a ship install. <years>. Setting up a plant to operate in at sea conditions, as well as shock loading and combat transients is very different from a static shore based power plant. The S5G plant in Idaho was a prime example of the extremes of testing the navy can be prone too. The Gyros used at S5G came from WWII Fire controls. They were massive. The plant was cycled for both pitch and roll.

"The concept of a natural circulation plant was relatively new when the Navy requested this design. The prototype plant in Idaho was therefore given quite a rigorous performance shakedown to determine if such a design would work for the U.S. Navy. It was largely a success, although the design never became the basis for any more fast-attack submarines besides the Narwhal. The prototype testing included the simulation of the entire engine room of a submarine. Floating the plant in a large pool of water allowed the prototype to be rotated on its long axis by torquing large flywheels mounted ahead of the reactor compartment to simulate a hard turn. The effects on natural circulation were evaluated at various angles and during simulated hard maneuvers.

The S5G prototype was permanently shut down in May 1995.[6]"

http://bubbleheads.blogspot.com/2008/08 ... power.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S5G_reactor

I was privileged to see the prototype and the water tank it was set in at Idaho.

The enlisted head of training took me for a look.

It was called S1W when I was there ('66) and from the wiki I found it was still called S1W after the S5G core was installed.

I am surprised they let you in, fear of spreading contamination from S1 and all.
The test building is/was one of the largest enclosed volumes in the US. I certainly do not miss the bus ride, although it was a garuanteed nap after a long night of drinkin' in I.F.

S1W was time distance and shielding challenged. We certainly got material smarter as things moved along.
I used to pity the S1W mokes taking the right turn after the gatehouse, while I headed left to 5G. It was a sexy plant.

If you google map NRF Idaho, you can get a nice sat view of the complex.

I was an A1W guy. Bad eye-sight.

My favorite bar was in a basement. The Dungeon IIRC. My mode of transport around town was a Honda 50. I rode it in a blizzard to a New Years party. My buddies thought I was nuts. I was.

My favorite movie was the IPCRESS Files. Not so much for the story but the French Press coffee maker at the beginning. It induced me to go out and buy one - I had never seen one before. I was actually able to buy one in a hardware store in I.F.

Gone are the days.

A1. I always looked at it as a shield between me and ECF

First Street Bar And Grill, near the railroad track underpass in town. The other bar was closed by the cops for drug sales. I don't remember the name.

I had an AUDI 5000S for primary transport then, and a CanAm 250 for stupidity. Great place for dirtbikes.
I miss heading East into the Rockies. Palisades Pass, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole. Great area.

I.F. - Idiot Flats