Iron Man's Fictional Power Supply - If Only It Really Existed
When I was watching the film, I wondered how the Iron Man suit was powered. It would take an incredible power supply to allow him to fly. At a very minimum I felt that it would have to at least be a 'jet-pack' type of system that we have all seen demonstrated. But it is reasonably bulky. Iron Man's power supply fits in his chest like a Jarvik artificial heart. It is called an arc reactor and the fictional energy mechanism sends the power through his arms and legs and provides thrust for flight. Yet I am still doubtful because thrust is usually provided by hot jet gases, which would require a storage tank.
If it is a nuclear power plant type of source, that could create steam, but you would still need a water supply. The arc reactor is described as generating 12 gigajoules, about 12 gigawatts or about 60 times greater than the power of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. I suppose the arc reactor could instantaneously liquefy oxygen and nitrogen in the air and 'fire it' like a ram jet. If the small perpetual motion-like device can produce such high energy levels without consuming fuel or producing waste heat, then theoretically it could perform the conversion described above.
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