Electro-Plasma Jet Engine – Joel E. Mason's Blog

Theory:

Utilize low-amp, extremely high-voltage electricity to convert ambient air (or other gases derived from stored liquids or solids) into plasma for jet and rocket propulsion.

Definition:

This technology would eliminate the need for conventional fuel sources, such as oil, for planes of all sizes. Instead, it would use the abundant gases in our atmosphere, such as nitrogen and oxygen, found up to a couple hundred kilometers above the Earth’s surface. By using a plasma-based engine, there would be no need for combustion. The plasma, created through this process, would break down compounds like greenhouse gases (e.g., CO₂) into their base elements, thereby reducing environmental impact. The plasma’s high temperatures and nature would break down these gases, producing carbon and oxygen atoms instead of harmful emissions.

While plasma creation involves extreme temperatures, the exhaust would cool rapidly upon exiting the engine, preventing significant heating of the ambient gases. This would result in cleaner exhaust compared to traditional jet engines, as greenhouse gases are destroyed rather than produced.

Creating plasma involves stripping electrons from injected gases, resulting in ions (nuclei consisting of protons and neutrons) and free electrons. These charged particles generate electromagnetic fields and electric current within the plasma, making it electrically conductive and susceptible to electromagnetic fields. With a continuous supply of electricity, magnetic orifices, and containment, the plasma can be focused and ejected as exhaust, generating significant thrust.

Description:

The Electro-Plasma jet engine resembles a typical large jet engine in dimensions and volume, with the main difference being a small electricity power plant located near the rear wheels, between the wings. This power plant will be discussed in another article.

The engine requires extreme voltage (around 2.5 million volts) with low amperage (about 1000 amps) to vaporize incoming atmospheric gases into plasma. The plasma’s electric and magnetic properties can be utilized creatively before being ejected as exhaust.

Intake: A dilating intake, similar to an iris, adjusts based on altitude. At sea level, a smaller orifice is sufficient due to the high atmospheric pressure. As altitude increases and the atmosphere becomes thinner, the intake dilates to allow greater volumes of gases. Even at 100,000 feet, there is ample atmospheric gas to keep the engine running at full capacity. The intake would need to adjust accordingly for efficient operation at higher altitudes.
Turbine: Behind the intake is an electrically powered turbine, rotating slower than a typical jet engine turbine. Its purpose is to maintain positive internal pressure (around 50 psi) on the plasma-inducing orifice.
Plasma-Inducing Orifice: Approximately 3 inches in diameter and 10 inches long, this orifice uses extreme voltage to heat the gases to millions of degrees, creating plasma. The design includes two “C”-shaped components facing each other, with a funnel-like collector on the intake side. This intense voltage induces plasma flow by significantly increasing the temperature of the gases approaching the orifice.
Magnetic Vortex: The plasma then enters a cone-shaped magnetic vortex (3 to 10 inches in diameter, 6 feet long). In this vortex, the plasma rotates, generating electricity that loops back into the engine. This enhances the vortex’s power to contain, compress, and direct the plasma towards the exhaust. The vortex alternates between acting as a motor and a generator, making the plasma the catalyst of its own containment. The walls of the vortex switch between motor and generator functions, effectively using the plasma as the rotor in both generators and motors.

Due to the constant forward movement of the plasma, the engine’s internal walls would only reach temperatures of 5-10 thousand degrees, similar to walking on hot coals where continuous movement prevents severe burns. This design ensures the heat is always moving out, preventing damage to the engine.

Exhaust: The exhaust’s rapid cooling prevents significant heating of ambient gases, making it environmentally friendly and efficient. When the plasma exits the engine, it freezes rapidly, ensuring that the exhaust does not heat the surrounding gases more than a normal jet engine would.

Potential Applications:

Aviation: Planes could operate efficiently at altitudes up to 250,000 feet, utilizing the abundant atmospheric gases as fuel.
Space Exploration: Utilizing nitrogen as a fuel source for space shuttles and planes could be revolutionary, offering an abundant and virtually inexhaustible resource.

Additional Considerations:

The intake needs to be adjustable to accommodate the thinning atmosphere at higher altitudes.
The plasma-induced exhaust would contribute to reducing greenhouse gases by breaking them down into their base elements.
Nitrogen, making up about 78% of the atmosphere, could become a primary fuel source for various applications, potentially addressing global warming and enabling resource utilization from extraterrestrial bodies like the moon and Mars.

Legal Notification:

(Intellectual property and preliminary self-declared patent/patents of Joel Edward Mason. All those who have seen or are associated with this intellectual work are required to acknowledge ownership to the named individual above.)

(previous version needed correction...)

Theory:

Use low amp extremely high voltage current of electricity to convert naturally or supplied ambient air (gas or other stored liquid or solid that can then be turned into gas) into plasma for propulsion for jets and/or rockets.

Definition:

This sort of device in use around the world would take away the need for flight requiring a supplied fuel source for planes of all sizes derived from oil or something similar. The fuel this engine would use is literally what we breathe. Nitrogen, oxygen, and many other elements and compounds are found in nearly an inexhaustible supply in every place on earth, up to a couple hundred kilometers. The object of using a plasma based engine is the lack of need for combustion. The plasma itself is excited in the generation of it. Some might say that it could do harm to the environment. The truth of the matter is, in the creation of the plasma, the temperatures involved and the nature of plasma itself, plasma breaks down compounds to their base elements while it is separating electrons from atom nuclei. Therefore, breaking down compounds known as "greenhouse gases" for example: CO2. We would get one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms in the exhaust. Therefore, remedying the calamity of the oil industry.

The other issue associated with this technology would be the shear temperatures involved in creating the plasma and the plasma exhaust. This is not an issue either because of the extreme temperatures involved. When the exhaust leaves the engine, producing thrust, the plasma would freeze so rapidly that the exhaust would have virtually no time to heat the ambient gases to really any hotter than normal jet exhaust would, while being far cleaner than the typical jet engines because of "greenhouse gases" being destroyed instead of created.

In the creation of plasma, when the electrons are stripped away from the gases injected, you get ions, which are the nuclei consisting of protons and neutrons. The electrons, at this point, are electrically charged due to there being an unequal number of electrons and protons, that both generates electromagnetic fields and electric current within the plasma, making plasma electrically conductive and susceptible to electromagnetic fields. With this said, the plasma itself with a continuing supply of electricity and a magnetic orifice and magnetic containment, can then be focused and ejected in the form of exhaust generating what I suspect to be brilliant levels of thrust compared to today's technology of typical jet engines design.

Description:

The basic design of the Electro-Plasma jet engine and its supporting technology is basically the same dimensions and volume as a normal large jet engine. Although the main difference is the small electricity power plant located near the rear wheels on the bottom of the fuselage in between the wings. The power plant will be discussed in another article.

This theory suggests that extreme voltage with a rather low amperage would be required to virtually vaporize the incoming atmospheric gases into plasma (ions and charged electrons). Being that the charge electrons and plasma itself has electric properties as well as magnetic properties, the plasma can be used in some creative ways before being ejected as exhaust propulsion.

First there is an intake. This intake would be a dilating intake, like the iris of an eye. At sea level the sheer volume of atmospheric gases available to allow a smaller intake orifice. Behind this would be a turbine like what you would find in a normal jet engine except for the fat that it rotates much slower and electrically powered. The purpose of this turbine is to simply keep positive internal pressure on the plasma inducing orifice behind it. About three atmospheric pressures would be more than sufficient (about 50 psi).

After the turbine is the plasma inducing orifice. This orifice would be approximately three inches in diameter and about 10 inches long in the shape of two "c's" facing each other, with a small collector on the intake side: a funnel of sorts. Approximately 2.5 million low amperage volts would then be coursed through this orifice. Low amperage being about 1000 amps. With this extreme voltage, when the atmospheric gases from the collector filled to 50 psi approaches the event horizon of the incredibly intense voltage, the temperature of the gases shoots well above combustion temperatures to a couple million degrees. Therefore, achieving plasma flow.

After the plasma flow is induced, on exiting it enters a massive magnetic vortex like that of an electric motor or generator. The dimensions of the vortex are as follows: cone shaped, 3 inches to 10 inches, 6 feet long. In this vortex in this vortex, several things are occurring. First, the plasma is made to rotate. In the action of this rotation, being that the plasma itself is electrically and magnetically charged, the plasma in conjunction with the vortex, begins to generate electricity to then be looped back into the engine to be used for the electric induction of the plasma as well as making more powerful the vortex itself to contain, compress, and direct the plasma toward the exhaust outlet. The vortex is situated where, while the plasma is rotating on its way out, the walls of the vortex are alternating from motor to generator and back to motor all the way to the end. So, the plasma essentially becomes the rotor in both several generators and several motors. The purpose of this is to make the plasma the catalyst of its own containment as much so as possible with very little extra help from the power plant.

With this design, when considering the shear heat involved in the process of making the plasma and then causing the plasma to exit under pressure in the way of propulsion, the heat is always moving out. The temperatures inside the engine, the inside walls themselves, would only get to 5-10 thousand degrees, because the plasma is continually moving forward. This is very similar to a person walking on hot coals. If you just simply stand in the coals, your feet will essentially cook, but if you keep walking and be in contact with the coals, but for short seconds, your feet will be perfectly fine.

Back to the dilating intake. The intake doesn't need to be fully open at sea level. The atmosphere is at its greatest available pressure and volume. As you fly up in altitude, on the other hand, the atmosphere grows thin and the engine would need to take in a greater volume to have available the same amount of atmospheric gases. What sets this jet engine apart is that even at 100,000 feet, there is well more than enough atmospheric gases to keep the engine running at 100%. This is where aeronautical design comes into play. Design an aircraft to fly at 200-250,000 feet and there will be plenty of free and abundant fuel for it to fly there with these engines.

With this engine, the next step would be to bottle up the one atmospheric gas that rules them all. Nitrogen. Atmospheric breathable air contains roughly 78% nitrogen. To make nitrogen a fuel source for planes, trains, space shuttles and space planes would be a most impressive thing. It is virtually impossible for humans to run out of this gas before the technology came along to replace it. It would literally be the answer for global warming, and the unlimited source of raw materials from the moon, Mars, and asteroids.

Legal Notification:

(Intellectual property and preliminary self-declared patent/patents of Joel Edward Mason, to all that has seen this and to all those associated to those that have seen this intellectual work is insisted to heed ownership to the named above.)