Plasma Jet Engines Might Soon Become A Reality

Wall Street Pit ^ | May 27, 2017

[Jonty30]

Another win for Star Trek.

[rodguy911]

Plasma engines have remained in experimental stages for quite some time, and their use is focused mainly on propelling satellites and other spacecraft. Like the TR3B and other craft we have had for decades....Just one method of getting rid of crude which we haven't needed for years.....

[BobL]

“Göksel and his team are hoping for a way to work around this, whether through a breakthrough in compact fusion reactors, or by using alternative power sources like solar panels or maybe ‘beaming power wirelessly to the engines’. “

How about a windmill?

[headstamp 2]

As long as its in the 40 watt range.

[Fungi]

“Just one method of getting rid of crude which we haven’t needed for years..... “ Really? How many years, and in what century?

[JoeProBono]

[noiseman]

"...whether through a breakthrough in compact fusion reactors..."

Oh, is that all? So, all we need is to make fusion reactors work on any scale first, which we still can't do, and then miniaturize them. Things sure are simple in eco-leftist rainbows and unicorns land.

[marktwain]

whether through a breakthrough in compact fusion reactors,

---

Well... it is just around the corner, then!

[BobL]

Tell me about it. The amount of power needed by those propulsion systems is astronomical. It’s neat when something like that get invented, but those things are not about to go on airplanes. Maybe some space application, but that’s also daunting.

[Cboldt]

http://www.ariel.com.au/jokes/The_Inventor.html

[SpirituTuo]

An intermediate step might be a hybrid design where traditional engines get the plane off the ground, generating electricity, then have the plasma engines kick in. Kind of like piggy backing in reverse.

[bobby.223]

“Just what you see pal”....

[GraceG]

Plasma engines generate some cool light effects.

If you are lucky enough you can see them for yourself if you look up at the sky in the right places and times...

[Windflier]

Like the TR3B and other craft we have had for decades...

We've known for a long time, that our military possesses technology far ahead of what the public is aware of, which argues for the possibility that TR-3B is real.

I still wonder, though, if we have such craft, just what is their current mission?

[AndyJackson]

There is another little problem with this. To be efficient, the plasma pressure needs to be as high as possible. When you try to flow a high pressure plasma through the confining magnetic field, the plasma starts dragging the magnetic field around which deflects the plasma, and the whole thing quenches - burning up your motor if it ever could work.

No need to worry about this though. The same instabilities bedeviling confining the plasma jet also bedevil the hypothesized fusion power plant and so it doesn't work.

There is a proposed solution though - just pour in more taxpayer money.

[nicepaco]

“How about a windmill?”

Windmill powered aircraft used to be my favorite but you know a couple of solar cells for daytime flights and maybe 3 D cell batteries for night time and eclipses.

This is fantastic! Incredible! Unbelievable!

[Governor Dinwiddie]

This is sort of like the magic 100 mpg carburetor that the government and oil companies kept hidden from us.

[Rembrandt]

What do you wanna bet that when there is a malfunction (and there will be one), the result will be one damn big bang!

[maro]

Why does it have to get off the ground? Imagine a flying missile platform based on the moon. These plasma engines could get it in position over the target.