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Low Energy Nuclear Reaction Aircraft- 2013 ARMD Seedling Fund Phase I ProjectThis report serves as the final written documentation for the Aeronautic Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Seedling Fund's Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) Aircraft Phase I project. The findings presented include propulsion system concepts, synergistic missions, and aircraft concepts. LENR is a form of nuclear energy that potentially has over 4,000 times the energy density of chemical energy sources. It is not expected to have any harmful emissions or radiation which makes it extremely appealing. There is a lot of interest in LENR, but there are no proven theories. This report does not explore the feasibility of LENR. Instead, it assumes that a working system is available. A design space exploration shows that LENR can enable long range and high speed missions. Six propulsion concepts, six missions, and four aircraft concepts are presented. This report also includes discussion of several issues and concerns that were uncovered during the study and potential research areas to infuse LENR aircraft into NASA's aeronautics research.
Document ID
20140010088
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
Wells, Douglas P.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
McDonald, Robert
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Campbell, Robbie
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Chase, Adam
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Daniel, Jason
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Darling, Michael
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Green, Clayton
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
MacGregor, Collin
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Sudak, Peter
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Sykes, Harrison
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Waddington, Michael
(California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo, CA, United States)
Fredericks, William J.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Lepsch, Roger A.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Martin, John G.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Moore, Mark D.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Zawodny, Joseph M.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Felder, James L.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Snyder, Christopher A.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
July 24, 2014
Publication Date
June 1, 2014
Subject Category
Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
NASA/TM-2014-218283
NF1676L-19211
L-20436
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 694478.02.93.02.13.60.23
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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