Imagine completely silent aircraft that do not have harmful emissions, are invisible to infrared detectors of air defense systems and are able to freeze in a way that even the most modern helicopters cannot. Now imagine that the technology that allows you to acquire these abilities is already used in our living rooms as air ionizers. It is this Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that is now addressing this issue. Scientists conducted a study and realized that ion traction and the engines that are currently in great interest will one day allow us to fly up into the sky.
In general, the term ionic engines is most often found in the field of space exploration and spacecraft. Moreover, the principle of operation of engines developed at NASA and other space agencies is almost the same. But if the ion engine is designed to operate in a vacuum in space, then ion accelerators are more likely to one day replace aircraft engines.
If you want to see the operation of an ion accelerator, then just look at any electrostatic ionizer and air purifier. It uses an electrostatic charge to collect dust molecules from the air and holds them on special metal plates. What does all this have to do with flights, you ask? Everything is very simple. Place your hand under the grate of the dust collector and you will feel a gentle breeze. Given that usually such dust collectors do not have moving parts, all this looks strange, doesn't it? What then creates such an effect? Ionic (or electrostatic) wind.
The correct name for “ionic wind” is the term electro-hydrodynamic effect (EHD). And they have known about it since the 18th century, when scientists discovered that electricity can create a small movement of air. True, scientists and engineers were able to define EHD only in the 60s of the last century. One of the pioneers in these studies was the Russian-American pilot and inventor Alexander Nikolayevich Prokofiev-Seversky, who described physics and patented the basic principles of this technology.
Seversky used EHD to create, as he himself called it, an “ionolet,” which, by the way, is still being built by many students and amateurs of these studies. It works on the principle of using a negatively charged anode to charge air particles. These charged particles, or ions, are directed toward positively charged cathodes. When ions move in the direction of the cathode, they collide with air molecules and repel them, thus creating an ionic wind.
In the working model of such an “ionolet” created by the MIT laboratory team, the anode of a thin copper electrode is called an “emitter”. And the cathode, in which the aluminum tube is used here, is called the "collector". Then they are connected using a very thin frame, this structure is connected to an external power source, and the structure takes off. Interestingly, when the voltage changes, such an “ion-flying vehicle” can even be controlled by deploying it like a helicopter. However, it does not create any noise. He is soaring.
In the 60s, the “ionolet" seemed an innovation and a revolution in science. There was even talk that the principle of its operation could be used in small airplanes and in military affairs, because such "airplanes" did not generate heat and thus it was impossible to detect them on radars. At some time, due to their noiselessness, they wanted to replace conventional helicopters with “airplanes” and even build special flying platforms for missile defense and monitoring of traffic on roads.
The problem was power. The technology worked perfectly with small models, such as the one that can be seen above in the video, but it was not at all suitable for the construction of larger “airplanes”. What can I say, the technology did not even allow carrying its own power source on board, not to mention additional equipment. And so some time later, they began to forget about technology.
When scientists from MIT decided to return to this issue, they found that in fact, serious studies of ion wind and the possibility of creating engines based on it were not conducted. Therefore, they decided to conduct an experiment in which hundreds of volts of current would be supplied to the design of the "ionolet", which would be enough to light an ordinary bulb.
The results were amazing. A team of researchers found that ion traction was more effective than, for example, aircraft engines. While aircraft (turbojet) engines generate thrust of 2 N per kilowatt of power, the ion engine was able to create 110 N per kilowatt of power. Moreover, it turned out that such engines are most effective for providing low traction. In other words, energy was not wasted.
Despite this rather promising discovery, one should not expect that we will be able to see and even fly on "airplanes" in the near future. Indeed, despite its effectiveness, the technology requires an incredibly high amount of energy consumed to power. Even in order to fly a small plane into the air, megawolts of energy are required. Therefore, scientists will have to solve questions about how to push the power generated by an entire power plant into an airplane.
Nevertheless, the characteristics and features of the ion engine lead us to the argument that with an increase in the engines themselves, the distance between the anode and cathode also increases. Therefore, to launch from the ground, an “ion-fly” will need such a large engine that practically the aircraft itself will be located inside this engine. And this means that the “ionolet” will probably be very large, round, with the main deck located in the center.
In other words, who knows that one day we will be able to see real silent flying saucers with the possibility of vertical take-off and landing.
The article is based on materials .
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