Nuclear Surveillance Plane

I had previously proposed a nuclear battery for space mission using Plutonium 238. It generates about 0.57 watts per gram. This heat energy can be efficiently converted to air pressure using carbon dioxide which has the highest vapor pressure. At its critical temperature of 31° C carbon dioxide can create pressure up to 73.8 bar. Plutonium’s heat would be enough to reach such temperatures. With these given, I would like to propose a surveillance plane that would be powered by Plutonium 238 and carbon dioxide gas turbine.

Closed looped pressurized carbon dioxide would be used to turn a turbine which would be attached to a propeller directly would create enough thrust for a surveillance plane to fly almost indefinitely. Directly driving the propeller, coupled with high efficiency carbon-dioxide based heat to kinetic conversion would make the design a feasible solution. A small coreless dc motor would be added to the turbine shaft to generate electricity for the electronics. The dc generator would be sealed inside the pressurized carbon dioxide chamber as well. This would simplify the design and any sparking would have no effect on the motor or the plane. The pressure would be generated by the temperature difference generated by the radioactive isotope and the ambient temperature; plane’s fuselage will be used for that.

Nuclear isotope does not generate so much heat. Adding high power electric generators and then using brushless motors with control electronics would reduce the efficiency of the system and the plane would not lift its own weight. In my design power demanding propeller is directly driven by the gas turbine. Only low power electric is generated for the electronics. Continues power supply eliminates the batteries.

As with all my plane designs, low speed high endurance plane will have multiple wings to be able to fly at higher altitudes with slow cruise speeds.