Could a jet engine be run on nuclear power?

[FireStorm000]

I know people have designed nuclear rocket engines, but is there any reason you couldn't have a nuclear thermal jet engine? Simply take a conventional jet and swap out the combustion area with a small reactor? Could the same idea work at higher speeds with a nuclear ramjet, or scramjet equivalent?

 

[RandomGuy88]

Check this out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_X-6

 

[FireStorm000]

Check this out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_X-6

Well I'll be damned; I was aware of that program, I just didn't think they had planned to put the reactors directly in the engines.

So this could potentially empower a SSTO space craft, with a hybrid nuclear thermal jet/rocket? How cool would that be?

 

[Bobbywhy]

Well I'll be damned; I was aware of that program, I just didn't think they had planned to put the reactors directly in the engines.

So this could potentially empower a SSTO space craft, with a hybrid nuclear thermal jet/rocket? How cool would that be?

Did you read the Wiki article? One sentence from it ought be enough for you to see they were not trying to propel the Bomber at all: "Its sole purpose was to investigate the effect of radiation on aircraft systems."

 

[FireStorm000]

Did you read the Wiki article? One sentence from it ought be enough for you to see they were not trying to propel the Bomber at all: "Its sole purpose was to investigate the effect of radiation on aircraft systems."

...Read further. That's how far they actually tested. That wasn't the end goal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_X-6#Development_plans

 

[boneh3ad]

To answer your question about powering a ramjet or scramjet with nuclear power, I would say that it is a stretch with a ramjet and pretty much no way with a scramjet. The air passing through a scramjet is only in the combustion chamber for milliseconds at best. It would be very, very difficult to transfer a meaningful amount of heat into the flow in that amount of time. It is hard enough when you mix fuel with the air and then ignite it. Trying to transfer heat through convection from the sides would take much longer.

 

[A.T.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb7uZQ1_n4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4MfrvMnnww

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TzCPZyAmpQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udLJbSywzBM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp-0Y8lQ-JQ