WO2012131322A1

WO2012131322A1 - Device for moving a mass and/or generating a force effective for modifying the gravitational field between masses and a method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2012131322A1
Application number: PCT/GB2012/050565
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Bennett
Original assignee: General Turbine Technologies Limited
Priority date: 2011-03-25
Filing date: 2012-03-14
Publication date: 2012-10-04
Also published as: GB201105061D0

Abstract

A device (10) for generating a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses, comprising a layer assembly (102), axially symmetrical with respect to a centre axis (107) and rotatable at a first predetermined rotational speed about the centre axis (107). The layer assembly (102) further comprises at least a first dielectric layer (1 18) arranged at one end of the layer assembly (102), a superconducting layer (120), operable at a predetermined temperature and adapted to be electrically connected to a high voltage generator (130) during use, a positron emitter layer (122), operatively mounted above the superconducting layer (120) when in use, and adapted to emit positrons toward the superconducting layer (120), and a second dielectric layer (124) arranged at the other end of the layer assembly (102). The device (10) further comprises a plurality of diametrically opposed field plates (112) adapted to provide an electromagnetic field (138) within the layer assembly (102) that is counter-rotating to the direction of rotation of the layer assembly (102) at a second predetermined rotational speed.

Description

DEVICE FOR MOVING A MASS AND/OR GENERATING A FORCE EFFECTIVE FOR MODIFYING THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD BETWEEN MASSES AND A METHOD THEREOF The present invention relates to a device for moving a mass and/or generating a force effective for modifying the gravitational field, and in particular to a turbine adapted to generate a propulsive force or thrust induced by interaction of strong coupling between electromagnetism and gravitation and electron-positron annihilation in a superconductor exposed to a rotating electromagnetic field. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for generating such a force.

INTRODUCTION Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract each other with a force proportional to the mass and the reciprocal of the distance between the two bodies. A typical example of the effect of gravity is an object with a mass falling to the surface of the Earth when dropped from a height above that surface. Gravitation is also responsible for keeping planets or satellites in orbit around a larger mass. For example, planets of our solar system orbit around the sun and the moon orbits around the Earth due to the gravitational effects between these masses. Furthermore, gravitation is one of the four fundamental interactions of nature, along with electromagnetism and the strong and weak interaction. In modern physics, gravitation is described using the general theory of relativity in which gravitation is a consequence of the curvature of space- time which governs the motion of inertial objects. Thus, in the framework of quantum field theory, it is possible to describe gravity analogue to the other fundamental forces, such that the attractive force of gravity arises due to exchange of virtual gravitons, in the same way as the

electromagnetic force arises from exchange of virtual photons. That said, this approach fails at short distances of the order of the Planck length (1 .616252x10^"35 meter), where a more complete theory of quantum gravity is required. However, the simpler Newton's law of universal gravitation provides an accurate approximation for most calculations.

Therefore, it is generally understood that when moving any object with a mass in a direction other than towards the direction of the gravitational field (i.e. the gravitational field of the Earth), a force has to act on the object to overcome the effects of that gravitational field.

For example, in order to move an airplane up and through the air, sufficient force has to be generated by its engine(s) to overcome the

Earth's gravitational field. The required force is provided by aerodynamic lift generated from the airplane's wings moving through the air at a speed above a predetermined threshold. The required speed may be provided by thrust that is generated by the airplane's jet engines. Jet engines are, simply put, internal combustion engines powered by a turbine in which fuel combustion is used to generate mechanical energy. From this example, it is clear that overcoming the Earth's gravitational field is one of the major factors responsible for the engines fuel efficiency. Thus any means that could either shield or modify the effects of the Earth's gravitational field would have a considerable effect on the fuel consumption of any engine utilized to oppose gravity and may therefore significantly decrease the costs of transportation.

In the currently available state of the art, various aspects of gravity control have been hypothesized, theorized, tested and examined by numerous research groups and individuals in order to find alternative means of propulsion.

For example, in the first half of the twentieth century, Prof. Biefeld and T.T. Brown discovered that a high potential charged capacitor with dielectrics exhibited unidirectional thrust towards the positively charged plate when the atoms of a material are placed within the electric field of a capacitor. This phenomenon is called the Biefeld-Brown effect, which suggests a strong coupling between electricity and gravitation. Subsequently, the term "electrogravitics" has been widely used in connection with the

Biefeld-Brown effect since the mid twentieth century.

It is hypothesized that electrogravitic processes use an electric field to charge or, more properly, polarize an object and counteract the effects of gravity.

More recently, Bernard Haisch, Harold E. Puthoff, and several other physicists have shown connections between electromagnetism, notably the electromagnetic zero-point field, and inertia, and have speculated about possible further connections with gravity. Physicist Ning Li and engineer Eugene Podkletnov have, respectively, shown theoretically, and reported observing experimentally, anomalous gravitic attenuation effects above a superconducting disk spinning in a strong magnetic field such as is produced in a Meissner effect demonstration apparatus. Giovanni Modanese has conducted further experiments on the phenomena seen by Podkletnov, and has reported some additional much stronger, but transient, anomalous gravitational effects.

However, according to the current state of the art, none of the above experiments or calculations were able to demonstrate a local decrease of the gravitational field that could practically be utilized for generating a propulsive force.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a propulsion engine or improve the efficiency of propulsion engines by modifying the gravitational field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the invention seek to overcome one or more of the above disadvantages of the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for generating a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses, comprising:

a layer assembly rotatable about a centre axis, comprising at least: a superconducting layer adapted to be electrically connected to a high voltage generator during use,

a positron emitter layer adapted to emit positrons toward said superconducting layer, and

wherein said device further comprises an arrangement of field plates adapted to provide an electromagnetic field within said layer assembly that is counter-rotating to said direction of rotation of said layer assembly.

Preferably, the device may further comprises a first dielectric layer. More preferably, the device comprises a second dielectric layer.

Advantageously, the first dielectric layer may be arranged at one end of the layer assembly and the second dielectric layer may be arranged at the other end of the layer assembly. The arrangement of field plates may comprise a plurality of diametrically opposed field plates.

Preferably, the layer assembly is axially symmetrical with respect to a centre axis, except for one or more electrodes which may be located at differing radii. Typically, the layer assembly is rotatable at a first predetermined rotational speed about said centre axis. Preferably, the positron layer is operatively mounted above said superconducting layer when in use. Preferably, the said electro-magnetic field is counter-rotating to said direction of said layer assembly typically at a second

predetermined rotational speed.

Advantageously, the arrangement of the current invention allows the annihilation of accelerated superconducting electrons with β⁺ positrons in the boundary region of the crystal structured superconducting layer and the positron emitter, while the electron-positron annihilation is

superimposed by an electromagnetic field, which electromagnetic field is counter-rotating with respect to the rotation of the superconducting layer, therefore, generating a local gravitational field that either increases or decreases the Earth's gravitational field depending on its direction with respect to the Earth's gravitational field. Thus, the resultant force may advantageously be used as a separate propulsive force of a vehicle. On the other hand, the resultant force may be used in addition to a propulsive force generated by a common engine, such as a turbine, in order to considerably improve the fuel efficiency of that engine.

The second predetermined rotational speed may be greater than the first predetermined rotational speed. The layer assembly may be mounted to a drive shaft operatively coupleable to a motor.

This allows the advantage that a standard motor can be used to rotate the layer assembly about its centre axis. In particular, the drive shaft may be coupled to the motor via a 90° bevel gear, further allowing the motor to be situated remote and off-axis from the rotation axis of the layer assembly, therefore avoiding possible obstruction of the propulsive force by the motor.

The device of the present invention may further comprise a thermally insulating housing adapted to receive at least the layer assembly and maintain the layer assembly at or below the critical temperature T_c at which the superconductor becomes superconducting for a finite time period during use.

This provides the advantage that the conditions required to work a superconductor can be created relatively cost effective. In particular, the superconductor is simply placed in the thermally insulating housing which is cooled to the required temperature T_c by simple filling the housing with a coolant. Once the superconducting layer is cooled to the predetermined temperature T_c, the coolant may be removed before running the embodiment of the present invention. The device may further comprise a controller adapted to sequentially generate an electromagnetic field between the plurality of diametrically opposed field plates.

This provides the advantage that very high switching speeds of the opposing plates can be reached, therefore resulting in a rotational speed of the electromagnetic field that is considerably faster than the rotational speed of the layer assembly.

The layer assembly may further comprise a first electrode and a second electrode, each arranged through the first dielectric layer and electrically connected to the superconducting layer and located at respective first distance and second distance relative to the centre axis.

The first electrode and the second electrode may be adapted to receive a voltage from a high voltage generator during use.

This provides the advantage that a fixed predetermined voltage can be provided to the superconducting layer from any suitable external voltage generator that is not limited to a specific size and/or location.

The first distance may be greater than the second distance.

This provides the advantage that the zero-resistant electrons travelling from the first electrode to the second electrode within the rotating superconducting layer are forced onto a spiral path on which the speed of the electrons increases despite the constant angular velocity of the rotating disc. Thus, the electrons are accelerated on a path within the rotating superconducting layer before annihilation with the emitted positrons while exposed to a high-speed counter-rotating electromagnetic field. The interactions effective at the boundary region between the superconductor layer and the positron emitter are believed to allow strong electrogravitic coupling generating a local gravitational field capable of modifying the Earth's gravitational field. The first electrode and the second electrode may be adapted to

counterbalance each other during use.

This provides the advantage that the rotating layer assembly is sufficiently balanced to allow an undisturbed rotation about its centre axis.

The first electrode and the second electrode may be connectable to a high voltage generator via sliding contacts or frictionless electric arcs.

The first and second dielectric layer, the positron emitter layer and the superconducting layer may be of an annular disc shape.

A force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses may be generated in a direction perpendicular to the rotational plane of said layer assembly and electromagnetic field.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for generating a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses using a device according to the first aspect of the present invention, comprising the steps of:

(a) cooling the layer assembly to a predetermined temperature suitable for generating a superconducting effect in the superconducting layer of said layer assembly,

(b) providing a positron source adapted to emit positrons towards the superconducting layer of said layer assembly,

(c) rotating the layer assembly about a centre axis at a first

predetermined rotational speed,

(d) alternately charging and discharging the superconducting layer using a high voltage generator at a frequency proportional to said first predetermined rotational speed, (e) concurrently to step (d), generating a electromagnetic field within the layer assembly counter-rotating relative to the direction of rotation of the layer assembly at a second predetermined rotational speed.

Step (a) may be effected by operatively positioning the layer assembly in a thermally insulating housing and filling the thermally insulating housing with a coolant. Step (b) may be effected by mounting the layer assembly to a drive shaft which is operatively coupled to a motor.

The counter-rotating electromagnetic field may be generated by a controller sequentially charging and discharging the diametrically opposed field plates with a predetermined voltage.

The second predetermined rotational speed may be greater than the first predetermined rotational speed. A force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses may be generated in a direction perpendicular to the rotational plane of said layer assembly and electromagnetic field.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a partial sectional side view along A-A of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 shows e sectional top view along B-B of the embodiment of Figure,

Figure 3 shows an exploded perspective view of all main

components of the preferred embodiment and a simplified view of the main components function,

Figure 4 shows schematic plan view of the rotating superconducting layer and the predicted path of the electrons during operation,

Figure 5 shows a prototype example of a field propulsion turbine incorporating the device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figures 1 , 2 and 3, a preferred example of a turbine 10 incorporating the present invention is disclosed comprising a device for generating a force effective for modifying the gravitational field between masses. The turbine 10 further comprises a layer assembly 102 mounted onto a base plate 104 of a drive shaft 106, a motor 108 that is coupled to the drive shaft 106 via a 90° bevel gear mechanism 109 and a drive field system 1 10 having four pairs of diametrically opposed field plate pairs 1 12a, 1 12b, 1 12c, 1 12d powered and driven by a controller 1 14. The plates of the field plate pairs 1 12a, 1 12b, 1 12c, 1 12d may be made from metal and in particular from Copper. The base plate 104 is further in electrical connection to the drive shaft 106, both of which are earthed. The controller 1 14, which includes a power supply (not shown), may also drive the external motor 108. It is understood that the invention is not limited to the 90° bevel gear mechanism 109 or an external motor 108, and any other suitable means for operatively coupling the drive shaft 106 to any suitable drive means may be used. Also, any other suitable means for rotating the layer assembly 102 about its central axis may be used. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the layer assembly 102 comprises a first and second dielectric layer 1 18, 124, which form the top and bottom layers with respect to the bottom base plate 104 of drive shaft 106. A

superconducting layer 120 and a positron emitter layer 122, deposited directly above the superconducting layer 120 with respect to the bottom base plate 104, form the centre section of the layer assembly 102. A first and second electrode 126, 128 pass through the second dielectric layer 124 and the adjacent positron emitter layer 122 to electrically connect the superconducting layer 120 to a high voltage generator 130. The electrical contact between the first and second electrode 126, 128 and the high voltage generator 130 may be made via sliding contacts (not shown). However, any other electrical contact means may be used, such as electric arc or plasma. Referring now to Figure 4, the first electrode 126 may be located concentrically with respect to the drive shaft 106 and its rotational axis at a radius R1 and the second electrode 128 may be located concentrically with respect to the drive shaft 106 and its rotational axis at a radius R2. Preferably, first and second electrode 126, 128 are positioned on a diameter of the layer assembly 102 opposed to drive shaft 106. In this particular example, radius R1 is greater than radius R2 such that the zero- resistant electrons e^" that travel from the first electrode 126 to the second electrode 128 within the rotating superconducting layer 122 are forced onto a spiral path on which the speed of the electrons e^" increases at a constant angular velocity of the rotating layer assembly 102. First and second electrode 126 and 128 are balanced in weight according to their distance from the rotational axis of the layer assembly 102.

Preferably, the superconducting layer 120 is made from an Yttrium Barium Cuprate compound, but any other suitable superconducting or high- temperature superconducting material may be used. Also, the positron emitter layer 122 may be a ²²Na isotope which provides β⁺ positrons 121 according to the decay reaction ²²Na→ ²²Ne + β⁺ + v_e + γ. However, any other suitable positron source may be used. The first and second dielectric layer 1 18, 124 may be made from solid polycarbonate material or any other electrically insulating material.

The drive field system 1 10 and the layer assembly 102 are concentrically arranged within a thermally insulating housing 1 16 such that the layer mechanism 102 and the drive system 1 10 share the same rotational plane with respect to the rotational axis 107 of the drive shaft 106. The opening of the thermally insulating housing may be sealed by a lid 1 17 that fits between the housing interior walls and the drive shaft 106. The housing may further comprise an inlet port 132 and an outlet port 134 for introducing and removing a coolant 136, such as, for example, liquid

Nitrogen. In this particular example, the rotatable drive shaft 106 may be supported by twin bearings (not shown) positioned outside the thermally insulating housing 1 16. An example of the operation of the preferred embodiment and the method for generating a force effective for modifying the gravitational field between masses is now described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

Prior to starting the turbine 10, liquid nitrogen 136 is introduced into the housing 1 16 through an inlet port 132 soaking the layer assembly 102 until its temperature is cooled to below the critical temperature T_c of the superconducting layer 120. Excessive liquid nitrogen 136 is then removed from the housing 1 16 though an outlet port 134 until the surface level of the liquid nitrogen 136 is below the base plate 104. The remaining coolant 136 is left within the housing 1 16 to maximize the time period until the temperature within the housing rises above T_c. The coolant 136 may also be introduced via the top opening of the housing 1 16 by removing and replacing the lid 1 17. As soon as the critical temperature T_c of the superconducting layer 120 is reached, the motor 108 is started by the controller 1 14, thereby rotating the drive shaft 106 and layer assembly 102 at about 3,500 rpm. At the same time, the high voltage generator 130 charges and discharges the superconducting layer 120 via respective first and second electrode 126, 128 with each rotation of the layer assembly 102. The voltage used to charge the superconducting layer 120 in this particular example is in the region of 20,000 V DC. The positron emitter layer 122 deposited on the top surface of the superconducting layer 120 provides a constant supply of β⁺ positrons 121 that are directed towards the superconducting layer 120 in which electrons (e^") move at zero-resistance from the first electrode 126 to the second electrode 128 in response to the high voltage charge provided by the high voltage generator 130. When electrons e^" and positrons 121 collide, both particles are annihilated creating gamma ray photons according to e^" + β⁺→ γ + γ.

At the same time, the controller 1 14 sequentially switches a high voltage to each of the drive field plate pairs 1 12a, 1 12b, 1 12c and 1 12d producing an electromagnetic field 138 of high flux density rotating in the opposite direction to the rotation of the layer assembly 102. In particular, drive field plate pair 1 12a may be switched to a potential of -3,500 V DC / +3,500 V DC first, before the drive field plate pair 1 12a is switched off and the next drive field plate pair 1 12b is switched on to the same potential. The sequence continues with drive field plate pair 1 12c and drive field plate pair 1 12d, before it starts again with drive field plate pair 1 12a. The controller 1 14 may use a switching array of high voltage Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT's) controlled by a 1 MHz clock speed to power and drive the plate pairs 1 12a, 1 12b, 1 12c, 1 12d, therefore, allowing a very high rotational field speed in the order of 250,000 x 60 rpm, i.e. 15,000,000 rpm, which, in this particular example, is 4000 times faster than the used rotational speed of the layer assembly 102. Thus, the counter-rotating drive field 138 is rotating at a much higher speed than the layer assembly 102. It is understood that other suitable switching means may be used to drive the counter-rotating electromagnetic field 138 via drive field plate pairs 1 12a, 1 12b, 1 12c and 1 12d.

In this particular example, a propulsive force is generated in a direction normal to the rotational plane of the layer assembly 102 and the drive field 138. It is believed that the propulsive force is generated in response to a local gravitational field formed by electrogravitic coupling and the electron e^" / positron 121 annihilation at the crystal boundaries where the

superconducting layer 120 is in contact with the positron emitter layer 122. The turbine 10 of the preferred embodiment has been tested on objects of various sizes, shapes and materials such as metal, plastics, wood and various liquids, all of which have been accelerated in a direction normal to the rotational plane of the layer assembly 102. It has been observed that the acceleration produced by the turbine 10 is at least in the region of 20 m/s². Figure 5 shows an example of a prototype design of the turbine 10 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In particular, Figure 5 shows an inlet port 132 and outlet port 134 for coolant 136, the thermally insulating housing 1 16 and the output direction 140 of the propulsive force. It is understood that the prototype design disclosed in Figure 5 is one of many possible designs suitable to work the device of the present invention.

The above described invention may also be applied to fields of technology other than transportation and the reduction of fuel consumption. For example the present invention may be used to create specific environment conditions on the earth's surface that allow new drugs or vaccines to be studied and manufactured or new treatments to be developed.

Furthermore, the present invention may allow the manufacture of semiconductors having ultra pure crystal matrices, or new alloys and composites with precisely controlled crystal boundaries.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above

embodiment has been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1 . A device for generating a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses, comprising:

a layer assembly rotatable about a centre axis, comprising at least:

a superconducting layer adapted to be electrically connected to a high voltage generator during use,

2. A device according to claim 1 , further comprising a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said first dielectric layer is arranged at one end of said layer assembly and said second dielectric layer is arranged at the other end of said layer assembly.

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said arrangement of field plates comprises a plurality of

diametrically opposed field plates.

5. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the layer assembly is axially symmetrical with respect to a centre axis, except for one or more electrodes which may be located at differing radii.

A device according to claim 5, wherein the layer assembly is rotatable at a first predetermined rotational speed about said centre axis.

A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the positron emitter layer is operatively mounted above said

superconducting layer when in use.

A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the said electro-magnetic field is counter-rotating to said direction of said layer assembly typically at a second predetermined rotational speed.

A device according to claim 8, wherein said second predetermined rotational speed is greater than said first predetermined rotational speed.

A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said layer assembly is mounted to a drive shaft operatively coupleable to a motor.

A device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a thermally insulating housing adapted to receive at least said layer assembly and maintain a predetermined

temperature for a finite time period during use.

12. A device according to any one of claims 4 to 1 1 , further comprising a controller adapted to sequentially generate an electromagnetic field between said plurality of diametrically opposed field plates.

A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said layer assembly further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, each arranged through said first dielectric layer and electrically connected to said superconducting layer and located at respective first distance and second distance relative to said centre axis.

14. A device according to claim 13, wherein said first electrode and said second electrode are adapted to receive a voltage from a high voltage generator during use.

15. A device according to either of claims 13 or 14, wherein said first distance is greater than said second distance.

16. A device according to any of claims 13 to 15, wherein said first electrode and said second electrode are adapted to counterbalance each other during use.

17. A device according to any of claims 13 to 16, wherein said first electrode and said second electrode are connectable to a high voltage generator via sliding contacts or frictionless electric arcs.

18. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein said first and second dielectric layer, said positron emitter layer and said superconducting layer are of annular disc shape.

19. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses is generated in a direction perpendicular to the rotational plane of said layer assembly and electromagnetic field.

A method for generating a force suitable for modifying the gravitational effect of masses using a device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of:

(a) cooling the layer assembly to a temperature suitable for generating a superconducting effect in the superconducting layer of said layer assembly,

(b) providing a positron source adapted to emit positrons

towards the superconducting layer of said layer assembly,

(c) rotating the layer assembly about a centre axis at a first predetermined rotational speed,

(d) alternately charging and discharging the superconducting layer using a high voltage generator at a frequency proportional to said first predetermined rotational speed,

(e) concurrently to step (d), generating a electromagnetic field within the layer assembly counter-rotating relative to the direction of rotation of the layer assembly at a second predetermined rotational speed.

A method according to claim 20, wherein step (a) is effected by operatively positioning the layer assembly in a thermally insulating housing and filling the thermally insulating housing with a coolant.

A method according to either of claims 20 or 21 , wherein step (b) is effected by mounting the layer assembly to a drive shaft which is operatively coupled to a motor.

23. A method according to any of claims 20 to 22, wherein said counter-rotating electromagnetic field is generated by a controller sequentially charging and discharging the diametrically opposed field plates with a predetermined voltage.

24. A method according to any of claims 20 to 23, wherein said second predetermined rotational speed is greater than said first

predetermined rotational speed.

A device according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses is generated in a direction perpendicular to the rotational plane of said layer assembly and electromagnetic field.

A device for generating a force suitable for moving a mass and/or modifying the gravitational effect of masses substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.

27. A method for generating a force suitable for modifying the

gravitational effect of masses substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.