"An analysis was made at flight Mach number of 0.9 to estimate performance of nuclear-energy-powered turbojet engine and optimum engine operating conditions and to determine gross weight and load-carrying capacity of airplane powered by such an engine. The size of airplane required to carry disposable load of 20,000 pounds was found to vary from approximately 300,000 to 900,000 pounds depending on assumptions. For a reactor tube-wall mean temperature of 2500 degrees R, turbine-inlet temperature of 2000 degrees R, reactor-free-flow-area ratio of 0.33, reactor-shielding-material specific gravity of 6.0, shielding thickness of 3.0 feet, and altitude of 30,000 feet, the airplane gross weight required to carry a 20,000 payload is 545,000 pounds" (p. 1).

Performance and boundary-layer data were taken in a 12 degree 10-inch inlet-diameter conical diffuser of 2:1 exit- to inlet-area ratio. These data were taken for two inlet-boundary-layer conditions. The first condition was that of a thinner inlet boundary later (boundary-layer displacement thickness, delta* approximately equal to 0.034) produced by an inlet section approximately 1 inlet diameter in length between the entrance bell and the diffuser. The second condition was a thicker inlet boundary layer (delta* approximately equal to 0.120) produced by an additional inlet section length of approximately 6 diameters. Longitudinal static-pressure distributions were measured fro wall static orifices. Transverse total- and static-pressure surveys were made at the inlet and exit stations. Boundary-layer velocity distributions were measured at seven stations between the inlet and exit. These data were obtained for a Reynolds number (based on inlet diameter) range of 1 x 10(exp 6) to 3.9 x 10(exp 6). The corresponding Mach number range was from M = 0.2 to choking. At the maximum-power-available condition supersonic flow was obtained as far as 4.5 inches downstream from the diffuser inlet with a maximum Mach number of M approximately equal to 1.5. The total-pressure loss through the diffuser in percentage of inlet dynamic …