Soviets blow out gas fire with nuke (1963)

September 14, 2017, 08:18 PM

Hound Dog

quote:
Originally posted by 220-9er:
We have something almost as stupid nearby in norrth Georgia, an attempt to build a nuclear airlane and a number of other crazy experiments after that didn't work out so well.

We had a B-36 bomber modified to fly a working nuclear reactor (NB-36?). It was just a test aircraft to figure out the viability of flying a reactor. It didn't use any nuclear stuff for propulsion (it used its normal engines for that), and I think they had a 6' thick lead bulkhead between the crew and the reactor.

We did have a project or two that DID plan on propulsion from a nuclear reactor. It was 'dirty' as crap (if it had ever flown, that is). It would have left a trail of radiation everywhere it went (and it was projected to use a low-altitude flight profile to evade radar - and with a practically infinite fuel supply, it didn't matter that low altitude flight isn't as efficient for most aircraft as high altitude). In time of war, nobody would have cared much, but where would you base, test, and train with such a beast? It was (fortunately, VERY fortunately) abandoned as a project as unrealistic and unacceptable.

September 14, 2017, 08:24 PM

Otto Pilot

quote:
Originally posted by airsoft guy:
... big wet titties, a cold drink, and blowing stuff up.

I swear to God, if they ever remake Conan the Barbarian, this better be what Conan answers at the end of the movie.

______________________________________________
Aeronautics confers beauty and grandeur, combining art and science for those who devote themselves to it. . . . The aeronaut, free in space, sailing in the infinite, loses himself in the immense undulations of nature. He climbs, he rises, he soars, he reigns, he hurtles the proud vault of the azure sky. — Georges Besançon

September 14, 2017, 08:30 PM

220-9er

quote:
Originally posted by Hound Dog:
quote:
Originally posted by 220-9er:
We have something almost as stupid nearby in norrth Georgia, an attempt to build a nuclear airlane and a number of other crazy experiments after that didn't work out so well.

We had a B-36 bomber modified to fly a working nuclear reactor (NB-36?). It was just a test aircraft to figure out the viability of flying a reactor. It didn't use any nuclear stuff for propulsion (it used its normal engines for that), and I think they had a 6' thick lead bulkhead between the crew and the reactor.

We did have a project or two that DID plan on propulsion from a nuclear reactor. It was 'dirty' as crap (if it had ever flown, that is). It would have left a trail of radiation everywhere it went (and it was projected to use a low-altitude flight profile to evade radar - and with a practically infinite fuel supply, it didn't matter that low altitude flight isn't as efficient for most aircraft as high altitude). In time of war, nobody would have cared much, but where would you base, test, and train with such a beast? It was (fortunately, VERY fortunately) abandoned as a project as unrealistic and unacceptable.

That was another part of the same plan. They were planning to develop the propulsion unit here at AFP 67 in Dawson Forest at this Lockheed facility.
When they realized it was totally unfeasible and abandoned that plan, they decided to use the reactor to do the environmental tests to duplicate the effects of a nuke on the area and see how long it would take to recover.
The Russians had thought of the idea too but soon realized it wasn't going to work. To make the US waste resources, they allegedly leaked that they were far along and would soon have a working plane powered by a reactor. We responded with this B36 based test plane.

November 10, 2019, 08:10 AM

Sigmund

Scientists even designed a nuclear powered locomotive. No, it didn't leave the drawing board.

http://atomic-skies.blogspot.c...-peoria-by-atom.html

November 10, 2019, 08:51 AM

RogueJSK

quote:
Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
The way this thing furiously burned for three years helps me appreciate just how much frik'n natural gas there is in the world's gas fields.

The methane gas in the Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan (which was also part of the Soviet Union) has been on fire continuously since 1971.

November 10, 2019, 09:11 AM

sjtill

quote:
эй, ты, держи мою водку, смотри это ...

точно!

November 10, 2019, 10:19 AM

architect

quote:
Originally posted by BBMW:
I bet Red could have snuffed that without having to resort to (literally) nuking it.

Red Adair?!?!?!?! How exactly does dancing put out a big fire?

November 10, 2019, 10:30 AM

gearhounds

quote:
Originally posted by C-Dubs:
Isn't the Centralia mine fire still going? 55 years is enough, maybe we can try this.

Completely different beast. The gas fire only required choking off of a single point fuel source. The Centralia coal fire goes in too many directions within a roughly 8 mile area and is burning through solid veins. That’s a lot of area to nuke.

November 10, 2019, 01:44 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by architect:
quote:
Originally posted by BBMW:
I bet Red could have snuffed that without having to resort to (literally) nuking it.
Red Adair?!?!?!?! How exactly does dancing put out a big fire?

This reminds me of an old joke, that I heard way back when Red Adair was at the height of his career.

Red Adair had just extinguished a large oil fire, and with a couple of guys from his crew, he stopped at a bar in town to sip a couple of cold ones and unwind.

The town drunk was there, half in the bag, and kept staring at Red, whose image had been on the local TV station's news. The town drunk finally approached Red, and asked, "Don't I know you from someplace?"

Red: "I don't think so, I don't believe that we have ever met."

Town Drunk: "What's your name?"

Red: "I'm Red Adair."

Town Drunk thinks hard for a minute, then the light bulb turns on and he replies, "Red Adair! That's who you are! Are you still schtupping Ginger Rogers?"

November 10, 2019, 04:12 PM

220-9er

Project Plowshare.
Peaceful uses for nukes was the idea of someone in the government.

https://slate.com/technology/2...redirect-rivers.html

November 10, 2019, 05:14 PM

ScreamingCockatoo

quote:
Originally posted by 220-9er:
We have something almost as stupid nearby in norrth Georgia, an attempt to build a nuclear airplane and a number of other crazy experiments after that didn't work out so well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urGYMs0-UcM

They used terms like "air shielded nuclear reactor". That actually means not shielded nuclear reactor. They did that to study the effects of radiation on the background environment like wildlife and the nearby forest.

I've been here a few times, its just down the road from me.

November 10, 2019, 05:50 PM

rburg

While Y'all are laughing, the Ruskies seem to have invented a nuclear powered hyper velocity rocket that somehow uses nuclear energy. I know, relying on our news media for facts is worse than risky. But it seems the latest radiation scare was caused by the reported rocket failing and them needing to recover it or parts to lessen the long term radiation. I would also assume the Chinese use the same theory on their reported system.

November 10, 2019, 05:52 PM

220-9er

I've just looked at the pictures on the internet. Never been on the site to look around.
I'm in the next county north. This is a great example of government in the 50's, when they could do stuff like this without any question.

November 10, 2019, 06:43 PM

maxwayne

There is a good video on you tube and a Russian explanation.

November 10, 2019, 06:52 PM

Sig2340

quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
Very cool. Wonder how long it would take to get the gumption to do something like that today?

We did a similar thing with Project Gasbuggy. But there was a catch...

quote:
... The Department of Energy, which had hoped for much higher production, determined that Tritium radiation contaminated the gas. It flared – burned off – the gas during production tests that lasted until 1973.

So the massive gumption requirement is negated by the tiny amount of tritium involved.