06-15-2008, 12:39 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Legend in my own mind
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Sunrise, Fl.
Posts: 610
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Nuclear Power ...
Now unfortunately we are still not at a time where we can go to Walmart and purchase plutonium, but has anyone even heard of any strides to make nuclear powered cars?
I know it sounds scary, but the military has been using nuclear power for over 50 years without incident. And if you scale down the demand from an aircraft carrier to a 2000 lb car it is easy to see that it would take very little to power a vehicle endlessly. Plus I am sure we would not have to use weapons grade Uranium to make this happen.
I know it can be engineered so we don't carry mini dirty nuclear bombs in our trunks or fear it in case of accident. Or is the threat of someone buying up used nuclear powered cars in order to create a bomb to great?
I mean terrorist attack aside, lol, there is a power source than can power anything for a life span longer than the mechanical imits of the device. And if designed universally, as you buy a new car you simply take your power supply with you and plop it in the next vehicle.
I know to forward thinking and innocent considering the state of the world we live in, ahh but to dream I guess...
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Thx NoCO2; "The biggest FE mod you can make is to adjust the nut behind the wheel"
I am a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics
If your knees bent in the opposite direction......what would a chair look like???
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06-15-2008, 12:53 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Posts: 374
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It wont happen. Nuclear materials are closely gaurded and restricted who they are traded too.
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06-15-2008, 01:18 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Contumacious Rapscallion
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia Beach, Va. USA
Posts: 618
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Also ,
The mechanicals of Nuke Power are far greater than the average car can carry,
The Army tried for years to make a unit small enough to power an M1 Tank, no luck. If the technology was sufficient we would have nuke power planes and tanks for the armed services.
Great idea though. I heard of one of the Universities trying to get a grant to attempt to drag electricity straight from U238. I lost track so I don't know what happened.
That would have been your Mr. Fusion power plant.
S.
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I drive a piece 'o' Krap, so remember, "If you can't be handsome at least be handy"(Red Green).Schultz.
!!WooHoo I did it!! (now for the 55 MPG mark)
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06-15-2008, 01:47 PM
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#4 (permalink)
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Think Green
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 18
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Nuke powered cars won't happen in our great great great grandchildren's lifetime.
Yet, we could all recharge our electric cars off of nuke power plants for a LONG time.
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06-15-2008, 02:16 PM
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#6 (permalink)
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Legend in my own mind
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Sunrise, Fl.
Posts: 610
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And that was 50 years ago .... imagine the possibilities today. As it has been said, since this technology is primarily government controled, there would be very little hope of it making it out to the public.
__________________
Thx NoCO2; "The biggest FE mod you can make is to adjust the nut behind the wheel"
I am a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics
If your knees bent in the opposite direction......what would a chair look like???
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06-15-2008, 03:54 PM
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#7 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Posts: 374
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Quote:
Originally Posted by metroschultz
The Army tried for years to make a unit small enough to power an M1 Tank, no luck. If the technology was sufficient we would have nuke power planes and tanks for the armed services.
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The reason nukes work for ships is that they run long periods at constant loads. Think of the nuclear power industry and how long it takes to get a plant up and running again when they take it offline. Imagine the heat wasted while idling cars contantly for 5 years time.
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06-15-2008, 10:22 PM
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#8 (permalink)
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Legend in my own mind
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Sunrise, Fl.
Posts: 610
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Why would that be wasted time when life expectancy is in the hundreds of years? You could almost will your power supply to future generations before it goes bad ...
__________________
Thx NoCO2; "The biggest FE mod you can make is to adjust the nut behind the wheel"
I am a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics
If your knees bent in the opposite direction......what would a chair look like???
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06-15-2008, 10:44 PM
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#9 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: 3rd rock
Posts: 1,308
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trikkonceptz
I know it sounds scary, but the military has been using nuclear power for over 50 years without incident.
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it is scary that some of nukes proponents could be that naive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...lear_accidents
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06-15-2008, 11:08 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Posts: 374
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trikkonceptz
Why would that be wasted time when life expectancy is in the hundreds of years? You could almost will your power supply to future generations before it goes bad ...
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Not wasted time but wasted energy. It would be like running your car full throttle (non-stop) until it ran out of gas, but the gas tank doesnt last you a few hours but a few years. Plus all that heat around would be bad for the enviroment and pretty unpleasant in heavy traffic.
Also they could make the refilling period anything they wanted, I would think they would give you more fuel than a reasonable amount.
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06-16-2008, 12:46 PM
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#11 (permalink)
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EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Eastern Washington.
Posts: 24
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I think every city should have a nuclear power plant. If you need the megawatts, which the U.S. needs badly, go nuclear. Sadly the U.S. has not built generation to meet demand and the transmission infrastructure here is in dire need of improvement.
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2000 Suzuki Swift
2001 Chevy Metro
1983 Electric Ford Escort
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06-16-2008, 02:07 PM
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#12 (permalink)
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Contumacious Rapscallion
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia Beach, Va. USA
Posts: 618
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You said it SM we are in need of an overhaul.
But to the point, Nuke won't work in a car cause you need tons( 7 of them in a Carrier) of plumbing to make a reactor produce electricity. That does not include the water to water Heat exchangers (at least 2) and so on.
A nuclear pwowered car would be 100 feet long, 10 feet wide, 14 feet tall and weigh 45,000 pounds.
Where are you going to drive that?
In the OutBack of Australia, thats where.
And God help us if you have an accident.
Mad Max would have your @$$.
S.
__________________
I drive a piece 'o' Krap, so remember, "If you can't be handsome at least be handy"(Red Green).Schultz.
!!WooHoo I did it!! (now for the 55 MPG mark)
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06-16-2008, 07:39 PM
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#13 (permalink)
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Master EcoModder
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: 3rd rock
Posts: 1,308
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SatanicMechanic
I think every city should have a nuclear power plant..
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LOL, sorry, reminded me of a scene in Repo Man from J. Frank Parnell about radiation
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Repo_Man#J._Frank_Parnell (warning, not kid safe)
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06-16-2008, 08:51 PM
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#14 (permalink)
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Nice Road Trucker
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Frozen Steppes of Central Indiana
Posts: 415
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Bussard Fusion Power
Anybody seem the pictures of the Bussard fusion reactor? They say it more than breaks even.
I am skeptical. Where is the neutron flux? How do you keep the reaction going without high-energy neutron.
Still it is small - about the size of a ping-pong paddle.
I hope it works but generally, if somethings seems too good to be true...
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2000 Ford F-350 SC 4x2 6 Speed Manual
4" Slam 3.08:1 gears
"Fastback" Bed Fairing
Rugged Air Dam with Side Skirts
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