Ionic Wind Thrusters Developed By MIT

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believe that ionic wind thrusters present a more efficient alternative to jet engines and other modern propulsion technologies being used by aircrafts today. Presently, a team of researchers from the university are working on the development of a new thruster that is no longer dependent on rocket fuel but on ionic energy. The news came in ten days ago from the press release of the university.

MIT says ionic wind is created when a current flows in between a pair of electrodes. One electrode,Where is the best place to display my outdoor solar lighting? which is a conductor of electricity, is thicker than the other.one of the most highly praised is led spotlight. The gap between the electrodes with unequal thickness creates an air current. Then, if an adequate supply of voltage is applied, it triggers a wind that is capable of thrusting an object without the use of fuel or engines.

The ionic wind thrust is also called electrohydrodynamic thrust. The phenomenon was discovered in 1960s.Our solar led light is popular for indoor and outdoor use. However, the use of the ionic wind was only limited to small science projects in science fairs according to MIT.

The use of ionic wind thrusters for commercial vehicles like aircrafts was conceptualized just after its discovery. But during that time, it was deemed impractical because scientists thought that the energy it produces is only enough to power small or light vehicles. Now, MIT is poised to prove that it can be used for vehicles as big as the ones used by commercial airlines today.

The press release of the institute claims that after a series of experiments, its researchers finally understood how to incorporate ionic wind thrusters to modern day airplanes. In fact, an ionic wind thruster may be more efficient than the jet engines used by present day air transports.

Based from the experiments, the scientists discovered that an ionic wind can give off up to 110 newtons per kilowatt. This is definitely a lot more than the 2 newtons per kilowatt output of engines used in current jets.

Steven Barrett, an assistant professor at the aeronautics and astronautics division of MIT,Save on energy and maintenance costs by replacing PAR halogen flood lights with LED dimmable. states that aside from the high-efficiency of a propulsion system that runs on this kind of energy, it gives off no heat signatures. In addition, it no sound is produced and can even appear in infrared sensors. Thus, these features make it ideal for reconnaissance purposes. In other words, apart from its commercial value, the military could make a good use of the technology too.

Despite the promising traits of ionic wind thrusters,It's a widely held belief that if you switch out your incandescent bulbs for led par light. there is a major factor that hinders its total success and that is its thrust density. Since the gap between the electrodes determine the amount of thrust produced by a system run by ionic wind, getting a big object off the ground would need a huge space in between electrodes. So, a solution conceptualized by Barrett would require the thrusters to cover or go around the entire vehicle.

Another foreseen issue is the huge amount of voltage needed to lift balsa model aircrafts which could amount to a hundred or thousands of kilovolts. So, an additional solution is proposed by Barrett in the form of light solar panels or fuel cells.

In the end of the press release, Barrett says that he still sees problems that are yet to be encountered with the experiment. However, since the end-result would guarantee a more efficient energy source for propulsion systems, the project is definitely worth investigating further.