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Originally Posted by TheBigDog
...Consider the fuel to be the most energetic enriched uranium. What is the highest amount of energy that we can expect from a ml of that stuff, and what percentage of that energy can ce convert into motive power of the ship?...
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The Hiroshima bomb converted 1 gm of matter into energy (~10 kiloton); the total mass of U235 (the hot stuff) was around 20 kilograms. So, efficiency was 1/20,000 -- very approx.
That was a critical mass bomb. The Nagasaki bomb was a tamper & implosion squeeze bomb. Efficiency was considerably higher (I don't know). Let's say, around 1/10,000. Not bad. If we can convert 0.01% of our nuclear waste into energy, then:
Every metric tonne of waste will convert 100 gm into energy: equivalent to 1 megaton explosive power. Check my E=mc^2 math, but I think that is 10^11 Joule of energy.
If that is released over 10^5 seconds, then we get 1 megawatt of power (Joules/sec) That's about 30 hours at 1 megawatt propulsion power.
Assume the total ship is 10^6 tons. That power will accelerate it at 1 m/s/s.
Now, G (on Earth) is about 10 m/s/s. So we got 1/10 G for 30 hours.
that acceleration will give us a final velocity (burning 1 tonne of nukwaste)
of: 10^5 m/sec. Or 100 kilometers per second. That is 61 miles/sec.
That is 219,000 MPH. that is nearly ten times Earth's escape velocity and seven times faster than the fastest probe we have ever launched.
And this is, in non-metric units, "hauling ass". And all from burning just one metric tonne of waste over a period of 30 hours. Any complaints?????
Please, somebody check the math just in case I missed a decimal point.
