General Electric Direct-Air-Cycle Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program

[circle-5]

The General Electric AC110-2 Nuclear Turbojet was selected by Convair in 1956 to power their Models 23A and 23B nuclear seaplane bombers / mine layers. Layout of the AC110-2 is very similar to the GE XMA-1A, with a single reactor for each pair of turbojets (one pair in the 23A, two pairs in the 23B).

My questions are:

• Does anybody have some documentation on the GE AC110-2 (reactor MW, engine thrust, etc.)?
• Is this engine design before or after the GE XNJ140E?

Don't worry about the NSA -- you can probably speak freely.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Not exactly what you were after, but interesting especially APEX-910 with various nuclear powered aircraft and missile studies and even nuclear powered ballistic missiles:

APEX-901: Comprehensive Technical Report, General Electric Direct-Air-Cycle Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program, Program Summary and References
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/1048124

APEX-908 Part B: XNJ140E Nuclear Turbojet Section 4 - Reactor
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/12555356

APEX-908 Part C: XNJ140E Nuclear Turbojet, Section 5, Shield; Section 6, Turbomachinery; Section 7. Control System
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/12475089

APEX-910: Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Application Studies
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/1048126

APEX-913: Metallic Fuel element Materials
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/12475098

APEX-918: Reactor & Shield Physics
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/4491615

APEX-919 : Aerothermodynamics,
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/1048135

 

[GeorgeA]

There are a couple of AC-110 references in the application studies doc (thanks Overscan for posting), including a drawing of a seaplane testbed, but not much in the way of technical detail. There are a handful of wacky designs for things like hydrofoils and TSTOs as well.


The overview doc also has some of that data, and an extremely comprehensive bibliography of the GE ANP program.


Also, just a "duh" moment for me, I never realized the XNJ140 had the reactor mounted in-line with the turbojet. I thought it was a separate unit with ducted airflow to the reactor as in the XMA-1. The XNJ140 configuration, of course, is obvious if you look at the NX-2. As I said, "duh".

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

See here:

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Unrelated but cool - nuclear ramjet. Maybe relevant to SLAM/Pluto?

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

From Scott (http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=17998)

XNJ140E-1

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=17998


XMA-1A

 

[circle-5]

Thank you Paul for all this wealth of information. There's some amazing stuff in these pages! Page 37 of APEX-910 answers my main question: The AC-110 was indeed an early version of the XMA-1. The XNJ-140E came later, by integrating a direct-cycle reactor into each turbojet (XNJ = Experimental Nuclear [turbo-] Jet).

The Convair 23B is interesting in that a single reactor appears to power (Qty.4) X-211 engines. Maybe that arrangement was particular to the AC-110-2 variant.

The Convair 23A was designed around the original AC-110, much like the Nuclear Seamaster.

All the other answers are appreciated as well.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

XMA-1

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Drawing of XNJ140E-1

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Cutaway of the XNJ140E-1 reactor.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

B-52 testbed


extremely poor scan, did my best.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Supersonic nuclear bomber.

 

[AeroNG]

Sorry to reply to a semi-old post, but I think these two were just declassified / found:

APEX-907 - XMA-1
http://home.fuse.net/engineering/anp/APEX-900/APEX-907%20-%20XMA-1.pdf

APEX-906 - HTRE No. 3
http://home.fuse.net/engineering/anp/APEX-900/APEX-906%20-%20HTRE-3.pdf

(Data was found here: http://home.fuse.net/engineering/anp/documents.htm)

 

[dannydale]

Looks like it moved.


http://leehite.org/anp/documents.htm

 

[circle-5]

Looks like it moved.
http://leehite.org/anp/documents.htm

Excellent site - thank you - especially this link: http://energyfromthorium.com/ornl-document-repository/

 

[hesham]

Hi;

http://atomic-skies.blogspot.com.eg/2012/08/apex-901.html

 

[moin1900]

Presentation to the Division of Reactor Development of the AEC

Aircraft nuclear propulsion department
General Electric
April 17, 1961

https://www.osti.gov/biblio/983235-presentation-division-reactor-development-aec

Portable nuclear power plant
-Direct Air cycle

NAVY applications
- nuclear hydrofoil
- 601a and 601b power pack
- 4-man nuclear submarine
- ASW nuclear submarine

Nuclear ramjet
-SLAM
-LARPIS?

Nuclear rockets