FR2580889A1 - Method of creating a plasma by combustion of a gas or a vapour by means of a high electrostatic voltage. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method designed to obtain a reaction due to the creation of electrostatic high-voltage energy through friction of a gas or a vapour under pressure. This high voltage thus created will allow the kindling and combustion of the gases having served in its creation, thus producing a plasma. An illustrative implementation of the method consists of an insulating tube 1 containing an entrance orifice 2 and an exit orifice 3; hollow metal cylindrical pieces 4 are placed alternately with insulating pieces 5 in the tube. A pressurised vapour is introduced into the entrance 2, flows through the tube inside the pieces 4 and 5; the friction creates electrostatic charges which accumulate around the orifice 3 of the tube, causing the combustion of the vapour escaping therefrom. The method can be used in rockets or similar propulsion, in heat engines or for heating up water, the vapour from which can be used in turn as a source of energy.

Description

 The present invention relates to a method making it possible to obtain a plasma by combustion of a gas or a vapor, by means of a high electrostatic voltage due to the friction of this gas or of this vapor.

 The current means used to create a plasma are known and involve significant energies.

 Continuous plasmas are obtained by discharges of continuous potentials in rarefied atmospheres; these are the most ancient plasmas and currently the most used.

 The plasmas created by radio-frequency energies make it possible to avoid the phenomena of charge accumulation, and these generators are divided into two families: high frequencies, from a few megahertz to a few hundred megahertz, and microwaves of several Gigahertz.

 Light energies are also used to initiate a plasma, but the implementations are heavy and delicate; these are essentially U.V.s implemented by the Laser effect (the Laser being a plasma per se), and by U.V. lamps, but these means requiring high starting powers.

 In summary, the known and currently used methods require, for their implementation, a material, expensive, and requiring high energies compared to the plasma energy generated.

 The invention described below, presents a significant improvement, requiring for its implementation, a simple material, inexpensive, and in addition, an energy consumed largely offset by the energy of the plasma thus created.

The present invention relates to a method which tends to obtain a reaction due to the creation of a high electrostatic voltage by friction of a gas or a vapor under pressure.
This high electrostatic voltage thus created will allow the ignition and combustion of the gases or vapors that served to create it, thereby producing a plasma.

 The process consists in obtaining a sufficiently high voltage which can modify the environment - gases or vapors - so as to bring them to the point of melting and combustion.

 In reality, it is the discharges of electrostatic sparks caused by the high voltage thus formed which will disintegrate the gases or vapors, using them as oxidant and fuel.

 The resulting modified gases or vapors are high temperature plasmas; these combined with the high electrostatic voltage and the gases or vapor under pressure will create an avalanche phenomenon and will increase.

We can compare the creation of this plasma to the creation of lightning which would be caused by friction, as was the case with
Fires of Saint Elme, egrets of very high electrostatic tensions on the top of the masts of yachts of yesteryear.

The process consists in creating, by friction, high electrostatic voltage as one could make it with a wheel.
Barlow.

 Our invention consists in using gases or vapors which replace the rotation of the wheel and the collecting brush.

 The path of these gases or vapors can be linear.

 A device making it possible to demonstrate the process of the present invention consists in using insulating and conducting parts placed alternately in an insulating tube.

 FIG. 1 shows an embodiment having been used for implementing the method of the present invention.

 An insulating tube (1) having an inlet (2) and an outlet (3) is fixed on a threaded sleeve (6) (7); this tube slides in an insulator (8) which holds it, and a sleeve (9) laughs blocking it in a leaktight manner by a seal (read).

 The tube (1) comprises hollow metal parts (4) and hollow insulating parts (5), the latter being interposed so that the metal parts are separated by an insulating part.

 The tube (1) is here in pyrex and can enter quartz, glass or any other insulating material such as PTFE: its necessary characteristics being the resistance to heat (vapors) and its dielectric and electrostatic resistance for the transfer of charges.

 The length is approximately 1.50 meters and is calculated according to the desired THT and, therefore, the plasma that one wishes to obtain; it can therefore vary considerably.

 The diameter is approximately 15 mm outside and can vary depending on the mechanical and dielectric strength desired.

The metal parts (4) were made of aluminum and can be used as any other conductive or semiconductor metal
These parts are hollow and provision can be made for improving the operation and moderating the flow rate by working them so that the gas travels the longest path, for example by using conical or spherical parts, these shapes being able to vary according to the gases. or vapors used.

 The insulating parts (5) have been made of Pyrex glass and can be made of any other insulating material resistant to the circulating vapor temperature and ensuring good electrostatic insulation, such as glass, quartz, PTFE or other.

 These conductive (4) and insulating (5) parts fit inside the tube, and here have an average length of 15 mm; this length is calculated as a function of the gas or vapor used and of the desired high electrostatic voltage, therefore of the desired plasma.

 This assembly thus described is connected (FIG. 2) to a diet chau (11), the pressure of which is measured with a pressure gauge (12); a progressive valve (13) allows the steam to be sent into the tube and the flow rate in the tube is regulated by the tap (13) via a buffer tank (14) whose pressure is measured by a pressure gauge (15).

 The tube is tilted upwards to facilitate the flow of loads, the static having the particularity of mounting.

 The boiler containing water is pressurized to about 5 to 8 bars, and the steam flowing in the tube creates the phenomenon object of the present invention.

 In reflection, the steam under pressure at around 1500 C passes into the tube inside the parts (4) and (5) and the friction of this steam creates charges which will accumulate at the end (3) of the tube creating thus the high electrostatic voltage necessary for combustion.

 An improvement consists in creating an electric arc at the outlet of the tube by the presence of a conductor connected to the ground; this arc will serve as a trigger for the reaction.

 Another improvement consists in putting hydrogen peroxide in the water of the boiler, so as to increase the oxygen concentration of the gas at the outlet.

 In order to avoid condensations in the tube due to the expansion of the vapor, it is possible to place along the tube heaters, these possibly being taken directly from the plasma obtained.

 The uses of such a method are numerous and follow from the method of the invention.

 It is possible to obtain, by the creation of this plasma, high temperatures leading to making combustible liquid or gaseous mixtures which can simply be between water vapor, gas or air superheated in its greatest simplicity.

 The heat and combustion thus obtained can be further improved by the addition of oxidizers in gaseous or liquid form.

 It can be argued that such a process can be used in rockets or similar propellants, or quite simply in heat engines designed to withstand the high temperatures obtained.

 The process can be used for overheating water, the vapor of which can in turn be used as an energy source.

 An improvement consists in the addition in a base liquid, of oxygen or of salts which can, on the one hand, increase combustion, and on the other hand, increase friction.

 To finish, we can consider that the energy expended to operate such a process would be largely compensated by the reaction obtained - the plasma - and think that this generator can be self-powered at the energy level, only the contribution will be necessary liquid or gas that can enter water or air.

Claims (7)

 1) Process for creating a gas plasma, characterized in that it uses the high electrostatic voltage created by the friction of a gas or a vapor.  2) A method according to claim 1 characterized in that the high electrostatic voltage causes the combustion of the gas or steam which served for its creation.  3) Device for implementing the method according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that it is constituted by an insulating tube (1) and conductive elements (4) and insulating (5) arranged alternately in this tube (1 ).  4) Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the tube (1) can title glass, pyrex, quartz, PTFE or any other insulating material.  5) Device according to claim 3 characterized in that the hollow conductive parts (4) are made of aluminum or any other conductive or semiconductor metal.  6) Device according to claim 3 characterized in that the hollow insulating parts (5) are glass, pyrex, quartz, PTFE or any other electrically insulating product.  7) Method according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the high electrostatic voltage is created by the friction of gas or steam against the alternately conductive (4) and insulating (5) parts.