Tutorial-Geomagnetic Propulsion
Introduction
This is a fast forward presentation on how to convert rocket
propelled launch vehicles into
launch vehicles using geomagnetic
propulsion.
Basic aerospace fabrication and testing methods are
adequate to build and operate
geomagnetic propulsion systems. Standard electromechanical
actuator and electric motor
technology theory is an adequate basis for developing design
knowhow. What is standard
practice will be the baseline to gage performance and all new
discoveries and inventions will
be presented in terms of standard practice.
The fundamentals are thrust, impulse, power and
control.
Geomagnetic propulsion is a direct current force field motor
system where the earth's
magnetic field is the motor's field magnet and the levitator
is the armature. The current density
needed to float steel wire in the earth's magnetic field is
174,000 amperes/cm^2. A conduction
current that high would melt the wire. However the
ferromagnetism of the steel can produce
even higher equivalent current densities with very low
conduction current density. Launch
vehicle quality performance can be energized with off the
shelf batteries. Flight control can be
standard aerospace flight control systems if levitator control
commands are converted to
airplane or rocket commands.
Table Of Contents
1. Thrust
2. Impulse
3. Power
4. Control
1. Thrust
There are 3 power sources in a geomagnetic levitator:-fuel,
ferromagnetism and
geomagnetism. Geomagnetism is like having an energized
levitating train track that goes
millions of miles, except you don't have to build the track or
consume fuel to run it.
Ferromagnetism is like a whole bunch of batteries that consume
no fuel and produce many
times more magnetic flux than the windings that consume fuel.
The magnetic flux is already in
the ferromagnetic material, but without the winding that
consumes fuel to excite them the
magnetic flux points in all directions and there is no net
flux. The magnetic flux of the
winding causes some of the internal power of the magnetic
material to become coherent in the
direction of the spin of the winding's magnetic flux. The
winding current is in effect multiplied
by the quality of magnetic materials called permeability.
Thrust density (thrust to weight) is
derived from current density multiplied by the magnetic flux
density of the geomagnetic field.
Effective current density is conduction current density (from
fuel namely batteries charged by
a generator consuming jet fuel) multiplied by magnetic
permeability and devided by
demagnetization effects. Demagnetization effects are shape
sensitive. A 1:1 length to diameter ratio is a good
tradeoff and demagnetization increases with the length to diameter ratio
in
toroidal windings. Windings are usually around the core
of an electromagnet. Current can be
sent through the core. This is easier to do, but winding wire
around the core is more efficient.
Thrust is measured with a nonmagnetic scale. Electrical
power is measured directly with a meter measuring volts and
amperes and then multiplying them. Weight is measured with a scale. The
origins of ferromagnetism and geomagnetism are still a
mystery but many theories abound. The reference in this link
is an adequate course of study in basic electromagnetism.
2. Impulse
Measuring impulse in simple standard practice involves testing
the average thrust and
using the measurement to multiply by the duration of the
thrust, the same as with rocket
measurements. The battery weight is the equivalent of the
weight of the fuel expelled from
the nozzle. Specific impulse can be computed from the
average of the battery weight.
3. Power
Power can be from batteries, fuel cells and from dynamos. The
use of oxygen compressors
to store oxygen allows for conventional generators to keep the
onboard batteries charged,
much like in a hybrid gasoline-electric car, except the
generator is in space.
4. Control
Transverse and longitudinal force subcomponents can be
combined to produce thrust in any
direction. A toroidal winding is a "current element".
Tranverse force is at right angles to both
the external magnetic field and the current in the winding.
Longitudinal force is in the direction
of the external field with the current in the same direction.
All airplane and rocket commands
can be described in terms of vectored thrust.
All documentation needed to complete testing is
at:-
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