Ford Nucleon - a car at a nuclear reactor

In the 1950s, the world was gripped by the prospect of nuclear power. It was assumed that nuclear energy will produce a large amount of clean, safe energy. It seemed that all the energy problems will be solved with the help of the mighty atom.

It was during this "honeymoon" with nuclear energy in 1957, the Ford Motor Company introduced the most ambitious project in its history: a futuristic concept vehicle, which does not emits harmful gases, saving fuel consumption, far exceeding ever built cars . This car of the future called the Ford Nucleon, in honor of its unique design features - a miniature nuclear reactor in the trunk.





Ford engineers to imagine a world with a full range of services podzaryadochnyh stations, one day would replace petrol filling stations where depleted reactors would be exchanged for new ones. Nuclear installation in the car would have looked like the reactor in a nuclear submarine, but much smaller. Nuclear plant would use the process of uranium fission to heat steam generator, rapid conversion of water at high pressure steam, which can then be used to drive the turbines of the complex. A steam turbine has been designed to create a torque for driving and the other was to drive the electrical generator drive. The steam was condensed back to water cooling coil and directed back to the steam generator for re-use. IT'S a closed loop system, so it could be repeated up until the remains of the radioactive material. However, no emissions, except for the remaining nuclear waste was left.

Engineers assumed that a single charge reactor would suffice to 8,000 kilometers. Since the reactor could be replaced with a new owner would be granted the freedom to choose the configuration of the reactor according to their personal needs, low torque and high mileage or more expensive components. Without a conventional internal combustion engine and the exhaust pipe, Ford Nucleon would have been virtually silent, except for the hum of turbines.





Car on a nuclear reactor Ford Nucleon was the epitome of the naive optimism of the era. Most people do not know about the dangers of nuclear energy. Nobody thought that any small clash could trigger a radioactive catastrophe. Some sources even claim that the US government has funded a program of Ford Nucleon.

Source: www.strannoe.info

via factroom.ru