| Description |
x, 95, A26 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Summary |
"The general equations governing EFD (electrofluid dynamic) flow are established, simplified, and solved in closed form to provide a mathematical model of an ideal EFD propulsion system. This mathematical model, in conjunction with an analysis of ion-neutral and neutral-neutral molecular collision phenomena, indicates that the cause of inefficiency in the EFD propulsion system is the system entropy increase associated with the diffusion of ion momentum through the neutral fluid. This loss mechanism is shown to be analogous to resistive heating losses in a constant voltage linear electrical network and can be minimized by obtaining minimum ion mobility. It is shown that lifting forces of 10 lb[subscript f] per unit lifting area (for a 10 stage accelerator) may be achieved with an efficiency of 50% or greater by using microscopic water droplets as charge carriers. A hypothetical 20,000 lb[subscript f] gross weight flight vehicle is shown to obtain 50,000 lb[subscript f] of lift and be capable of attaining a 12,000 ft. ceiling, but requires a low weight 1.5 megawatt power supply. It is concluded that the development of suitable high voltage, light weight power supplies is necessary for the practical application of EFD propulsion to flight vehicles"--Abstract, leaf ii. |
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