Author Topic: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel  (Read 4921 times)

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Offline HaenkTopic starter

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Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« on: July 05, 2022, 07:32:13 am »
This has to be awarded my favourite nonsense award 2022.



I wish, creativity doesn't almost always come with the complete ignorance of physical laws.
 
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Offline Kleinstein

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2022, 09:20:53 am »
Quite some nonsense indeed.
The "electric" turbines still look a lot like conventional.
I would see come back in 500 years and see how much of the ideas may actually work. I doubt it would be much.
 

Offline AndyBeez

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2022, 09:47:57 am »
Looks like a cutting edge concept from a 1960s Thunderbirds episode. Just without the 'strings attached'. Picture: a meeting of world leaders at the atomic sky hotel named Icarus, is a sabotaged when The Hood places a mine in the nuclear thruster control. Can International Rescue save the world's leaders before the Icarus crashes into the special effects department? F.A.B.
 
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Offline AnalogueLove1867

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2022, 09:52:15 am »
I mean nuclear (fission) aircraft have existed and still exist in some capacity somewhere. Seems to  be super-secret experimental USA/Russian stuff.
So way too expensive to even be considered by a billionaire. But they do certainly fly.
Some aircraft do actually look similar to this design.

Yeah, in my view something isn't creative if it fails to achieve a purpose.  Then it just becomes a random thought.
An original idea that achieves something is creative.
 

Online Berni

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2022, 11:35:42 am »
Yep this is ridiculous.

Nuclear powered aircraft certainly existed at one point as a military experiment. The goal of it being an aircraft that can just keep flying without the need to refuel. However we haven't seen or heard anything about them ever since because they came to a conclusion that they are very impractical. In the end the whole thing became more of a dick measuring content between the US and Russia (much like the space race). Tho according to the available info the US plane never actually flew solely on nuclear power, they just flown a running reactor on a regular plane while did actual engine testing on ground. The Russians supposedly did have a plane flying on pure nuclear power, but the crew got irradiated because they left off some of the lead reactor shielding so that the plane was light enough (even tho the planes ware already rather big). They also used heat directly from the reactor, no electricity (that conversion is very inefficient and adds even more weight)

This is a basic problem with making mobile nuclear reactors (They do work on ships and submarines tho, since those can be as heavy as they want). They need a LOT of heavy shielding and we can't just use technology to work around the problem, you have to have lots of physical 'stuff' in the way to stop those energetic particles. So the huge weight of a reactor poses obvious problems when trying to build a plane that is light enough to actually fly. However planes also have a very critical weight distribution requirement, they want to have the mass close to there center to be stable while also being somewhat distributed to reduce the load on the airframe. So you can't stick the reactor far away from the planes hull, so radiation shielding becomes that much more important. Especially since they plan on flying for years at a time.

These radiation problems are stacked on top of the radiation that is caused by cosmic rays beating down on the upper layers of the atmosphere. This radiation is not that much of a problem on a few hour flight here and there in a regular plane, but if you spend years up there it does add up.
 

Offline Kleinstein

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2022, 12:55:10 pm »
Nuclear fusion reactors don't even work on the ground and the current projections are that they are huge and heavy (if they work at all). It looks like not even practical for a ship.

The nuclear plane idea were more like plans and failed ideas of the early nuclear age.
In the Ford museum in Detroid they have a muck-up for a nuclear powered car. Just for illustration of what was considered in the 1950s to get attraction.

It is a bit strange what those totally stupid videos on youtube are good for. At best they are click bait for a  ;D:-DD and  :palm: .
 

Offline iMo

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2022, 01:00:02 pm »
A380 weights 560 tons and needs 250 MW to start, people say..
With 5000 passengers and all that stuff inside the plane will be say 30x heavier.
It would need at least 50000 MW reactor to fly that gadget, imho..
They talk "nuclear fusion reactor". We do not have any experience with it as of today (weight, radiation, effectiveness, etc)..
With say 3000 ton heavy reactor it could be doable in 500 years from now.
I would be happy to meet Kleinstein on that flight then..
 :D
 

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2022, 01:28:23 pm »
 :scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?
 

Offline TimFox

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2022, 01:46:05 pm »
Many years ago, there was a science-fiction story (I believe published in Analog magazine) where the American nuclear-powered bomber project had produced a working unit.
When it finally took to the air, it was manned by a bunch of steam enthusiasts (sometimes called "foamers") who kept marking new historical milestones, such as when they exceeded the previous record for altitude with a steam locomotive (in the Andes).
 

Offline iMo

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2022, 01:53:14 pm »
:scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?
The heavy water in the swimming pool will be frozen before the takeoff, then used as the fuel for the reactor, as cooling for the reactor and other systems, for drinking and washing, for the swimming as well, and before the landing it will be frozen again (full recycling will be done, of course).. No single drop of it will be wasted.. Energy will be plenty for that..  :D
 

Offline AVGresponding

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2022, 04:27:59 pm »
Looks like a cutting edge concept from a 1960s Thunderbirds episode. Just without the 'strings attached'. Picture: a meeting of world leaders at the atomic sky hotel named Icarus, is a sabotaged when The Hood places a mine in the nuclear thruster control. Can International Rescue save the world's leaders before the Icarus crashes into the special effects department? F.A.B.

This is exactly what popped into my head immediately also!   :-DD
nuqDaq yuch Dapol?
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Offline TimFox

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2022, 04:58:14 pm »
to edavid:  Thanks for the reference!  I just ordered a copy of the paperback.
 

Offline SeanB

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2022, 05:02:40 pm »
AFAIK the nuclear reactor aircraft had little minor issues with the exhaust being rather engine rich, in that the zirconium cladding on the reactor fuel tended to oxidise rather rapidly in the airflow, and then the HEU fuel tended to be dumped in the exhaust as well. not a problem for a doomsday weapon, but kind of inconvenient if you actually wanted to ever use the land it flew over again in the next quarter million years.
 

Offline TimFox

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2022, 05:09:53 pm »
In the SF stories, the main practical problem seemed to be that once you landed the craft, it was hard to exit since the body of the craft was not radiation shielded (for obvious reasons), just the control/passenger compartment.
The propulsion system seemed to be based on a US Navy nuclear-submarine reactor driving old-fashioned propellors through electric motors, using steam turbines (hence the "foamers").
« Last Edit: July 05, 2022, 05:11:44 pm by TimFox »
 

Online pcprogrammer

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2022, 05:32:27 pm »
:scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?

Surely in something so advanced they will have vertical takeoff and landing ability 8)

Offline SiliconWizard

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #15 on: July 05, 2022, 06:41:42 pm »
Uh, don't get all worked up. From what I got, this is just a random concept. :popcorn:
 

Offline AndyBeez

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #16 on: July 05, 2022, 08:34:47 pm »
I just remembered, it's already been done before. The Fhloston Paradise uses some weird fifth element as the power source. I wonder if Carnival Cruises are taking advanced bookings?

https://fifth-element.fandom.com/wiki/Fhloston_Paradise
« Last Edit: July 05, 2022, 08:53:31 pm by AndyBeez »
 

Offline Bicurico

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #17 on: July 05, 2022, 10:49:41 pm »
Why not just use a Zeppelin?

Use some inert gas instead of hydrogen and cover the outside with solar panels to feed the electric motors of the propellers.

Seems feasible, cheap and would allow for long periods in the air. Plus it should be scalable in size.

Offline TimFox

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #18 on: July 05, 2022, 11:12:51 pm »
Quote from: Bicurico link=topic=331732[sub
[/sub].[sub[/sub]msg4282207#msg4282207 date=1657061381]
Why not just use a Zeppelin?

Use some inert gas instead of hydrogen and cover the outside with solar panels to feed the electric motors of the propellers.

Seems feasible, cheap and would allow for long periods in the air. Plus it should be scalable in size.

The only inert gas that is lighter than air is helium.  Water vapor is not truly inert, and of medium molecular weight.  Nitrogen (N2) is only slightly lighter than air.
Hydrogen has more lifting power than helium, since H2 is half the molecular weight of 4He.
“Town gas” was common in balloons during the Civil War—what could go wrong?
For a good party in a dirigible, see the 1930 film “Madam Satan” directed by Cecil B DeMille.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2022, 11:17:13 pm by TimFox »
 

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2022, 01:22:41 am »
:scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?

Surely in something so advanced they will have vertical takeoff and landing ability 8)
They would need to accelerate and decelerate at such a combination of controlled slow speed and absolute perfect angle, they would never get anywhere.
 

Online pcprogrammer

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #20 on: July 06, 2022, 03:37:08 am »
Quote from: Bicurico link=topic=331732[sub
[/sub].[sub[/sub]msg4282207#msg4282207 date=1657061381]
Why not just use a Zeppelin?

Use some inert gas instead of hydrogen and cover the outside with solar panels to feed the electric motors of the propellers.

Seems feasible, cheap and would allow for long periods in the air. Plus it should be scalable in size.

The only inert gas that is lighter than air is helium.  Water vapor is not truly inert, and of medium molecular weight.  Nitrogen (N2) is only slightly lighter than air.
Hydrogen has more lifting power than helium, since H2 is half the molecular weight of 4He.
“Town gas” was common in balloons during the Civil War—what could go wrong?
For a good party in a dirigible, see the 1930 film “Madam Satan” directed by Cecil B DeMille.

Yeah what can happen they though when launching the Hindenburg :palm:

Online pcprogrammer

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #21 on: July 06, 2022, 03:48:11 am »
:scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?

Surely in something so advanced they will have vertical takeoff and landing ability 8)
They would need to accelerate and decelerate at such a combination of controlled slow speed and absolute perfect angle, they would never get anywhere.

As if the rest of it all is feasible :-//

The whole rotating observation deck on the back tail fin, the elevators on the side of the plane, the 5000 passengers that need to be strapped in during the same takeoff and landing, the immense scale of the whole thing to house the shopping mall, restaurants, huge bedrooms, etc.

I'm no airplane engineer, but keeping such a thing airborne takes a lot of wing surface that have to handle a lot of stress. Doubt it is possible even 500 years from now.

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #22 on: July 06, 2022, 04:47:48 am »
:scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?

Surely in something so advanced they will have vertical takeoff and landing ability 8)
They would need to accelerate and decelerate at such a combination of controlled slow speed and absolute perfect angle, they would never get anywhere.

As if the rest of it all is feasible :-//

The whole rotating observation deck on the back tail fin, the elevators on the side of the plane, the 5000 passengers that need to be strapped in during the same takeoff and landing, the immense scale of the whole thing to house the shopping mall, restaurants, huge bedrooms, etc.

I'm no airplane engineer, but keeping such a thing airborne takes a lot of wing surface that have to handle a lot of stress. Doubt it is possible even 500 years from now.
LOL, so I guess the 20 nuclear powered jet turbines couldn't overcompensate for the lack of wind area....
 

Online pcprogrammer

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #23 on: July 06, 2022, 05:06:17 am »
:scared: LOL, what happens to the water in the swimming pool during takeoff and landing?

Surely in something so advanced they will have vertical takeoff and landing ability 8)
They would need to accelerate and decelerate at such a combination of controlled slow speed and absolute perfect angle, they would never get anywhere.

As if the rest of it all is feasible :-//

The whole rotating observation deck on the back tail fin, the elevators on the side of the plane, the 5000 passengers that need to be strapped in during the same takeoff and landing, the immense scale of the whole thing to house the shopping mall, restaurants, huge bedrooms, etc.

I'm no airplane engineer, but keeping such a thing airborne takes a lot of wing surface that have to handle a lot of stress. Doubt it is possible even 500 years from now.
LOL, so I guess the 20 nuclear powered jet turbines couldn't overcompensate for the lack of wind area....

I don't know if just forward thrust would be enough to keep a "straw" airborne, but it is interesting for an experiment. I read that some of the stealth planes can only fly with the help of computers due to the unusual wing design and probably need a lot of thrust to do so, but they still have a lot of wing span.

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
« Reply #24 on: July 06, 2022, 05:16:28 am »
I don't know if just forward thrust would be enough to keep a "straw" airborne, but it is interesting for an experiment. I read that some of the stealth planes can only fly with the help of computers due to the unusual wing design and probably need a lot of thrust to do so, but they still have a lot of wing span.
Man, try not to take everything said in this thread too seriously...

Maybe comeback with something like an additional 50 jets should get it to hover...
 
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