Laser-powered propulsion system

• US 9,068,562 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Budica, Robert J., Chandler, Frank O., Herzberg, James S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wongwian, Phutthiwat
• Assistant Examiner(s): BREAZEAL, WILLIAM LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/645,816
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 602/001, 602/02, 602/031
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/405 Ion or plasma engines per se F03H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/408 Nuclear spacecraft propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F03H 1/00 Using plasma to produce a reactive propulsive thrust generating plasma H05H1/00 ion sources per se H01J27/02, ion sources for plasma processing or ion beams H01J37/08
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/01 Hybrid fission-fusion nuclear reactors
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/03 with inertial plasma confinement
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/15 Particle injectors for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellet injectors
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/19 Targets for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellets for irradiation by laser or charged particle beams
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 3/006 Fusion by impact, e.g. cluster/beam interaction, ion beam collisions, impact on a target
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

A propulsion apparatus includes a propellant, at least one laser, and a thrust member. The propellant includes a solid surface having a hollow core disposed within the solid surface and a thrust-producing medium disposed within the hollow core. The at least one laser is positioned to vaporize the propellant with at least one laser-beam into a thrust-producing flow. The thrust member is for flowing within the thrust member a thrust-producing flow created by vaporization of the propellant.

Claims

1. A propulsion apparatus comprising:

a propellant comprising;

a solid surface comprising a hollow core disposed within the solid surface and a thrust-producing medium disposed within the hollow core;

a thrust member comprising a cavity;

at least one laser positioned to vaporize the propellant with at least one laser-beam into a thrust-producing flow within the cavity; and

a portion of the thrust member which bounds the cavity, the portion of the thrust member configured to reflect the thrust-producing flow created by vaporization of the propellant, the portion of the thrust member containing a material which undergoes fast neutron fission and energy release upon being contacted by fast neutrons from the propellant.

2. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thrust-producing medium comprises a gas.

3. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thrust-producing medium comprises a hydrogen gas or a helium gas.

4. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thrust-producing medium comprises Deuterium and Tritium.

5. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the solid surface comprises plastic.

6. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the propellant comprises a second solid surface disposed within the hollow core of the solid surface, and the thrust-producing medium is disposed within a second hollow core of the second solid surface.

7. The propulsion apparatus of claim 6 wherein the solid surface comprises plastic, the second solid surface comprises Beryllium, and the thrust-producing medium comprises Deuterium and Tritium.

8. The propulsion apparatus of claim 7 wherein the second solid surface further comprises a U-238 coating.

9. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one laser comprises at least one of a Xenon flash lamp driven ruby laser, a Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet laser with a light-emitting diode driven flash lamp, a light-emitting-diode driven Alexandrite laser, or a free electron laser.

10. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thrust-member comprises a parabolic-shaped nozzle.

11. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thrust member further includes at least one magnetic member for magnetically directing the thrust-producing flow.

12. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the material is U-238.

13. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one system for powering the at least one laser using the material which undergoes fast neutron fission and energy release upon being contacted by the fast neutrons from the propellant.

14. The propulsion apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least one system comprises coolant, a turbine, and a power generator connected to the at least one laser.

15. An aircraft laser propulsion system comprising:

an aircraft comprising;

a propellant having a solid surface comprising a hollow core disposed within the solid surface and a thrust-producing medium disposed within the hollow core;

a thrust member comprising a cavity;

a laser having a laser beam positioned to vaporize the propellant into a thrust-producing flow within the cavity; and

a portion of the thrust member which bounds the cavity, the portion of the thrust member configured to reflect the thrust-producing flow created by vaporization of the propellant, the portion of the thrust member containing a material which undergoes fast neutron fission and energy release upon being contacted by fast neutrons from the propellant.

16. A method of propulsion comprising:

vaporizing a propellant with at least one laser-beam, produced by at least one laser, into a thrust-producing flow within a cavity of a thrust member, the propellant comprising a solid surface, a hollow core disposed within the solid surface, and a thrust-producing medium disposed within the hollow core;

reflecting the thrust-producing flow, created by vaporization of the propellant, off a portion of the thrust member which bounds the cavity to provide propulsion; and

contacting a material contained within the portion of the thrust member by fast neutrons from the propellant to cause the material to undergo fast neutron fission and energy release.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the thrust-producing medium comprises a gas.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the thrust-producing medium comprises a hydrogen gas or a helium gas.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the thrust-producing medium comprises Deuterium and Tritium.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the solid surface comprises plastic.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the propellant comprises a second solid surface disposed within the hollow core of the solid surface, and the thrust-producing medium is disposed within a second hollow core of the second solid surface.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the solid surface comprises plastic, the second solid surface comprises Beryllium, and the thrust-producing medium comprises Deuterium and Tritium.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the second solid surface further comprises a U-238 coating.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one laser comprises at least one of a Xenon flash lamp driven ruby laser, a Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet laser with a light-emitting diode driven flash lamp, a light-emitting-diode driven Alexandrite laser, or a free electron laser.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the thrust member comprises a parabolic-shaped nozzle.

26. The method of claim 16 further comprising feeding the propellant, with a propellant feed member, to a focal-point of the at least one laser within the cavity of the thrust member.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein the material is U-238.

28. The method of claim 16 further comprising powering the at least one laser with at least one system using the material undergoing the fast neutron fission and energy release upon being contacted by the fast neutrons from the propellant.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the at least one system comprises coolant, a turbine, and a power generator connected to the at least one laser.