RU2716266C1 - Method of producing electric current - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electricity.SUBSTANCE: method of producing electric current relates to electrical engineering and can be used for industrial production of electric power. Electric power is produced by creation between an emitter and an anode of an electrovacuum device containing an emitter, a collector and an anode, an electrostatic field, by means of which field emission is jointly caused and the formed electron flow is moved from the emitter to the collector, and the potential difference occurring between the collector and the emitter is used to obtain direct current in the payload circuit connected therewith.EFFECT: technical result is increase in efficiency and simplification of conversion process of electric field energy into electric current energy.6 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to electrical engineering, in particular to methods for generating electricity and can be used for industrial generation of electricity and is used to provide electricity to a wide range of industrial, transport and domestic consumers.

Widely known are various methods of generating electrical energy that convert one type of energy into electrical energy: electrochemical, thermoelectric, magnetoelectric, piezoelectric, photoelectric, using nuclear energy, and others (see. "Great Soviet Encyclopedia". - M .: Publishing House "Soviet Encyclopedia ", 1978, v. 10, p. 580-581). Common problems for them are the low efficiency of conversion of source energy into electrical energy, as well as environmental pollution during the utilization of used natural resources. At the same time, for example, to create and maintain an electromagnetic field in generators or DC motors, for the operation of thermoelectric generators used as current sources, the consumption of significant amounts of energy is required. Current sources that convert the energy of solar radiation, can effectively be used only in areas with a large number of sunny days per year. In addition, a number of sources of electricity during operation causes significant harm to the environment (hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants).

Including, there is a known method of generating electricity, in which, in order to obtain an electric current in a winding penetrated by a varying magnetic flux, an electric wave is generated in the volume pumped by the combustible gas by burning it with a discharge. In this case, the generated magnetic impulse creates an electric current impulse in the winding with the ferromagnetic element (see. "Electric power generation method", RF patent No. 2091975, IPC ⁶ H02N 11/00, Н05Н 1/24, Н01М 14/00, 1993). Here, the chemical energy of a combustible gas is converted into the energy of a magnetic pulse and then into the energy of an electric current.

The disadvantage of this method is the structural complexity, low efficiency, environmental pollution.

A known method of producing an electric current, the essence of which is that in the process of obtaining an electric current to create a flow of moving free electric charges in a carrier, it is affected by a stream of particles by a field of a space medium formed in the carrier's location zone, creating a different concentration of electric charges on different the ends, thereby providing directional movement of free electric charges in the presence of an external circuit (see. "Method for producing electric current", patent F №2471284, ⁶ IPC H02N 11/00, G21M 7/00, 1998). In the present invention, a generated direct current is obtained by converting the energy of a stream of particles from a field of a space medium.

The invention requires a powerful external source of cosmic radiation, has a low efficiency of converting the energy of the flow of cosmic particles into an electric current.

A known method of generating electricity using an electrostatic induction alternator (first described in an article published on May 6, 1891 by N. Tesla's article “Electrostatic induction AC devices”, see Tesla N. Lectures and articles. - M.: “Tesla Print”, 2003. S. 188-189), in which an electric current is induced in a conductor penetrated by a varying flow of an alternating electric field formed by charged surfaces moving above the plates of the receiver-receiver.

The disadvantage of this method is the complexity of the formation of a changing electric field flux by moving charged surfaces. This technology of creating a field is accompanied by large losses associated with performing mechanical work on the rotation of the planes of the inductor, which is experiencing the opposition of Coulomb forces, and the need to use moving current collection mechanisms to supply voltage to the inductor, which greatly complicates the generator design and reduces its efficiency. Therefore, the efficiency of this method is low. Subsequent, developing this method, similar inventions (see "Capacitive electrostatic generator", patent of the Russian Federation No. 2075154, IPC ⁶ H02N 1/08, 1993) do not eliminate these disadvantages.

Also known is a method of producing electricity, in which electricity is obtained by electrically connecting each other through a load of plates of an electric capacitor, which are placed perpendicular to the power lines of the electrostatic field and are periodically shielded from its effects (see. "Method for producing electricity", RF patent No. 2471284, IPC ⁶ H02N 1/08, H02N 11/00, 2010). Here, the energy of the electrostatic field is converted into AC energy.

The disadvantage is the need to organize the mechanical movement of the screen inside the evacuated working space of the device.

The closest in technical essence to the present invention is a method of producing an electric current in which a current-collecting electrode of a mesh structure is placed in a vacuum chamber containing a cathode thermally connected to a heat source, and the anode is placed outside the vacuum chamber above the current-collecting electrode, and the current-collecting electrode is periodically connected using a switch with a capacitor that accumulates the electric energy of the converter, while in the pauses between the current collection cycles the capacitor through the same the switch is connected to the winding of the output transformer that converts direct voltage to alternating voltage, and in the same pauses, positive high voltage pulses from the rectifier connected to the transformer are fed to the anode so that the space charge from the cathode is periodically sucked off, increasing its emission activity, while the payload connected to one of the transformer windings (see. "Method for converting thermal energy into electrical energy", RF patent No. 2087990, IPC ⁶ H01J 45/00, 1994). In this invention, a pulsed alternating current is obtained using external thermal energy for thermionic emission of electrons and the energy of pulses of an electrostatic field to move the resulting electron cloud from the cathode to the area of the collector electrode.

The disadvantage of this method, chosen as a prototype, is the low energy conversion efficiency associated with the need to use an external heat source to heat the cathode, the formation of a pulsed current generation mode, losses caused by the use of transformer transformations and an additional starting electrode, which significantly complicates the generator device and reduces the effectiveness of his work.

The objective of the invention is to increase the efficiency and simplify the process of converting the energy of the electric field into the energy of an electric current.

The task is achieved by creating an electrostatic field between the emitter and the anode containing the emitter, collector and anode, using an electrostatic field, which together cause field emission and move the resulting electron flow from the emitter to the collector, and the resulting potential difference between the collector and emitter is used to receiving direct current in the payload circuit connected to them.

The essence of the invention consists in replacing energy-consuming thermionic emission by field emission and organizing the process of moving charge carriers from an emitter to a collector with electrostatic field energy instead of pulsed field energy. A number of well-known physical effects are used.

Including, it is well known and obvious that if at one end of the electric circuit in any way (thermal, photon, field, tunneling, etc.) organize the emission of electrons, the whole circuit acquires a positive potential. Therefore, emission electrons exported to the other end of the chain will be captured there by electrostatic forces of attraction. Thus, supporting the emission of electrons from the emitter and their movement to the collector, we obtain a potential difference between the emitter and the collector and the current flowing in the electric circuit connecting them. The current strength I in this case will be limited by the emitter’s emission performance and the choice of the emission method.

Where:

J _e - emission current density, S _e - the working area of the emitter.

The most promising use for these purposes is the field emission method, also called field electron or electrostatic. The advantages of field-emission emitters are inertialessness, lack of heating, high current density and sharply non-linear current-voltage characteristic. A remarkable property of the field emission method is that only the energy of the electrostatic field is used to excite field emission and the method does not require other energy costs. Moreover, in stationary mode, it is theoretically possible to achieve a current density of up to 2 ... 3 10 ¹² A / cm ² , practically - up to 10 ¹¹ A / cm ² on the nanoscale tips of the autocathodes (see G. Fursey Auto-electron emission. - M.: Doe, 2012.S. 105, 125, 230).

Field emission from metals to vacuum has been studied most fully. In this case, the current density j follows the Fowler-Nordheim law:

where j is the emission current density, E is the electric field strength, ϕ is the work function, the functions a and b depend on the geometry and work function.

Field emission taking into account the space charge for a plane-parallel vacuum diode leads to the well-known Boguslavsky-Langmuir formula:

where d is the distance between the electrodes, k = 2π (2m _e / e) (see G.R. Fursey Autoelectronic emission. - M.: Lan, 2012. p. 52).

Similarly, the law is valid for vacuum thermal diodes with any configuration of the cathode and anode and for any cathode temperatures at which thermionic emission is possible. In general,

where g is the constant (the so-called perveance) of this diode, depending on the configuration and geometric dimensions of its electrodes (see Gurtovnik A.G. et al. Electrovacuum devices and the basics of their design. - M .: Energoatomizdat, 1988, p. 77) .

At the same time, the efficiency of energy conversion by the thermionic emission method, as a rule, does not exceed 15%. The limitation is technically related to losses in the organization of thermal emission and the formation of a spatial electron charge region between the emitter and the collector, which prevents the emission of electrons from the surface of the emitter.

In the general classical understanding, the operation of an electric power generator consists in the separation of charges occurring in the energy conversion section under the influence of some external electromotive force. The charges of the opposite sign accumulated on the emitter and collector of the generator create an output voltage supplied to consumers of electricity (see Landsberg G.S. (ed.) Elementary Physics Textbook. T2. 13th ed. -M.: Fizmatlit, 2008, p. 94-106).

In this technical proposal, as well as in any generator, energy is converted. Namely, the energy of an electrostatic field - into the energy of an electric current. The energy of an electrostatic field in the understanding of modern quantum physics is the electrodynamic energy of a flux of quanta of an electric field existing between charged particles.

The nature of electrodynamics is more understandable given the physics of quantum electrostatic interaction of charged particles (Coulomb, pondemotor forces), carried out by the emission and absorption of electromagnetic field photons having energy and momentum: “In classical electrodynamics, the interaction between charged particles is carried out through the field: the charge creates a field that acts on other charges. In quantum theory, the interaction of an electromagnetic field and a charged particle looks like the emission and absorption of photons by a particle, and the interaction between charged particles is the result of their exchange of photons: each of the electrons emits photons (quanta that transfer the interaction of the electromagnetic field), which are then absorbed by other electrons ”(Article“ Quantum Field Theory "// Physical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia. Editor-in-chief of AM Prokhorov. 1983; IV Saveliev. Course in General Physics. T.3. - M .: Doe. 2008.p. 239-240). For example, since the beginning of the last century, the pressure of light, which is a type of electromagnetic radiation generated due to the presence of a pulse in its photons (quanta), has been known and practically measured.

As an example of technical analogues that convert the energy of an electrostatic field into energy of electric current, as well as into the energy of mechanical work, using specially oriented electrostatic forces and fields, we can cite devices according to patents of the Russian Federation: No. 2185526, No. 2225066, No. 2458451, No. 2471283 No. 2471284, No. 2629846.

Ways to implement the inventive method for producing electric current, we consider the example of possible design options for the electric power generator shown in the figures of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

The generator contains emitter 2 located in the vacuum chamber 1, collector 3, anode 4, a load circuit Rн 5 connected to the emitter 2 and collector 3, as well as a shielding (protective) grid 6 and a magnetic field 7 formed by an external magnetic field source in the form of a constant or an electric magnet. In this case, the load circuit can be standardly shielded from the action of the anode field (not shown in the figures).

The operation of the electric current generator is as follows.

An electrostatic field of intensity E is created by applying an anode voltage U _a to anode 4 relative to the emitter 2 of the device. Under its action, field emission is caused from the surface of the emitter 2, and the resulting electron flow is directed to the collector 3 of the generator. Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 2, in the direction of the electron flow to the collector 3, taken outside the zone of maximum anode field action, a magnetic field 7 with induction B is involved, directed perpendicular to the lines of force of the anode field, and therefore creates Lorentz forces F _l = V × B, correspondingly changing the flow path emitted electrons moving with a speed V. The screening (protective) grid 6 additionally prevents the movement of emission electrons from the collector to the anode.

Emission electrons accumulated on the collector lower the potential of the collector 3 relative to the emitter 2 of the generator to the difference U _eq , as a result of which a constant electric current I _k = U _ek / Rn flows in the load circuit Rn 5 connected to them. Moreover, the values of U _ek and I _{k are} determined by the emissivity (current density j _e ) of the emitter and the load value Rн.

Given the fact that the operation of the generator in question is possible when using electron emission from the surface of an emitter of any nature, and the result! emigration are described by the same expressions and are almost identical for thermo- and field emission, to check the operability of the proposed method, a circuit on a 6Zh7 lamp pentode was assembled, shown in FIG. 3. Emission from the oxide cathode of the pentode was excited by a standard indirect glow circuit with a voltage of 6.3V. The positive voltage on the screening grid C _e , in contrast to the standard scheme for using the pentode, was not applied. As a result, the lamp acquired the properties of a triode with the so-called “right characteristic”, in which the lamp is closed without a positive signal on the control grid C and the anode current is absent (see IP Zherebtsov. Fundamentals of Electronics. - L-d.: Energoatomizdat, 1985.S. 198). Having connected the network of the collector playing the role of a collector through a voltmeter (with an input impedance of 10 MΩ) with an emitter in the form of a cathode K, we obtain the design of the proposed generator, which is fundamentally different only in the way it emits the electron beam acting in it.

In the experiment, changing the anode voltage U _a from 0 V to a value of 250 V, nominal for a given pentode, we measured the voltage U _cc between the cathode and the grid, thus obtaining a set of values of the output characteristic of the generator: U _cc (U _a ), shown in the figure FIG. 4. The initial value of the characteristic U _cc = 0.4 V at U _a = 0 corresponds to the level of thermionic emission used in this embodiment. In the theory of designing radio tubes, this phenomenon is called “direct grid current” (see Gurtovnik A.G. et al. Electrovacuum devices and the basics of their design. - M .: Energoatomizdat, 1988. S. 127-128). In the interval U _a = (0V ... 75 V), we observe a monotonic increase in the values of U _cs = (0.4 V ... 0.59V), which is typical for field emission described by expression (3). Subsequently, at U _a = (75V ... 250 V), saturation U _cc = 0.62 V occurs, which is determined by the emission performance of the thermal cathode of this lamp. The anode current was absent: I _a = 0.0 μA.

Thus, the obtained experimental results correspond to theoretical principles and confirm the operability of the proposed technical solution.

Using the proposed method for producing electric current gives, in comparison with existing methods, the following technical result:

allows you to simplify the design of generators that produce electricity;

more economical in comparison with existing methods, has a higher efficiency;

is an environmentally friendly way of generating electricity.

Comparative analysis with the prototype shows that the proposed method for producing electric current is characterized by a different, simpler and more economical technology for generating electric current, carried out by replacing energy-consuming thermionic emission by electric field and organizing the process of movement of charge carriers from the emitter to the collector by electrostatic field energy instead of pulsed field energy without more complex and energy-intensive operations of heating the thermal cathode and transformer current conversions.

Thus, the present invention meets the criteria of "novelty" and "inventive step".

The prospects for industrial application of the invention do not cause difficulties, since the proposed method consists of the combined action of well-known and widely used in electrical and radio electronics technologies of electron emission and control of electron emission flux, and also does not require the use of any means, materials or elements unknown to modern industry.

In particular, it is advisable to use the technology of manufacturing radio tubes such as tetrodes and traveling wave tubes. Autoelectronic emitters are widely used in modern technology as a bright point source of electrons in electron microscopes (transmission and scanning), in X-ray microanalyzers, and also as an intense source of electrons in accelerators, microwave devices, etc. (see Shrednik V.N. Autoelectronic emission // Physical Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1988.- T. 1.- P. 21). There are numerous developments of auto emitters, for example, according to patents of the Russian Federation: No. 2651584; No. 2097869; No. 2074444. Particularly promising are emitters based on nanocarbon materials, which have the lowest specific value of field emission excitation voltages (see DA Usanov, RK Yafarov. Study of field emission from nanocarbon materials. - Publishing House of Saratov University, 2007.).

Claims (6)

1. A method of producing an electric current, comprising creating between the emitter and the anode an electric vacuum device containing an emitter, collector and anode, an electric field, under the influence of which the flow of electrons emitted from the surface of the emitter is directed to the collector, which leads to a decrease in the collector potential relative to the emitter, and the potential difference is used to obtain current in the payload circuit, characterized in that they use an electrostatic field, applying which together cause electron emission and move the resulting electron stream from the emitter to the collector, while in the payload circuit, which is connected to the collector and emitter, receive a constant electric current. 2. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the collector in the form of a grid is placed between the emitter and the anode, and the grid is made with a permeability that ensures the penetration of the electric field from the anode to the emitter and the emitted electrons do not fall on the anode. 3. The method according to p. 2, characterized in that a shielding grid is placed and connected to the emitter between the collector and the anode, which shield the collector from the anode field and further prevent electrons from entering the anode. 4. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the collector is located outside the zone of maximum action of the anode field, while the flow of emitted electrons is directed to the collector using a constant magnetic field oriented transversely to the anode field, which is formed by an external magnetic field source using a constant or an electric magnet. 5. The method according to p. 4, characterized in that a protective grid is placed and connected to the emitter in front of the collector, thereby excluding the reflection of electrons from the collector surface and their movement to the anode. 6. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, characterized in that the payload circuit is shielded from the effects of the anode voltage and other external electromagnetic disturbances.

Images