Impulse engine a reality

[Kirk McLoren]

Impulse is mv. Its magnitude in time is proportional to the velocity of the final or output collision. Since our existence is tied to Earth it is natural to use Earth measurements,ie a 1 second impulse is when the output collision was 32.2fps. If it were 3.2 feet per second you would need 10 impulses for a second of output.
The engine is basically an asymmetric oscillator. The asymmetry is imparted by an elastic collision of the piston or major moving part with 2 targets whose combined mass is equivalent to the "piston" for best mv transfer.
Example - think of breaking 2 balls with a cue ball. The 2 targets separate at 45 degrees from the original vector. The sideways component is equal and opposite and thus cancels The original vector is cut in half so the output of the device is about half of the original input pulse (generated via solenoid)
I am in rehab at the moment, had open heart surgery. Thus communication is difficult. Please be patient with my speed of response to communications.
Space is now open to us. Rockets do not pencil due to their terrible inefficiency. This device allows acceleration as long as you provide it electricity. No ejecta.

 

[T'Girl]

Let me know when this thing puts a hundred tonnes of payload into low Earth orbit for a dollar a tonne.

Impulse on the show works by forming a magically "techno-babble bubble" around the ship that lowers it's mass and makes it easier to move. Or something like that.

I hope you have a speedy and full recovery from your surgery, vai com Deus.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The subspace bubble is the explanation for warp travel, not impulse.

 

[tharpdevenport]

And, as I recall, the mass of the ship isn't important. Warp warps the space ahead of the ship, pulling it forward.

 

[Kirk McLoren]

I think we would be happy to approach the cost per ton-mile of a 747. I believe the impulse engines on the show have ejecta. The Next Generation engines are a form of magnetohydrodynamic or magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. (wiki) Although the specific impulse is high it is still Newtonian equal and opposite reaction.
This engine has no ejecta. It is unique in that it has its own frame of reference.
As soon as I can go home I can make public disclosure. The device is so simple Edison could have built it.

 

[sojourner]

Which begs the question, why didn't he?

The subspace bubble is the explanation for warp travel, not impulse.

There has been some conjecture (mostly in the trek tech forum) That the only way Impulse drives in trek could work with so little onboard propellant, is that it uses a subspace bubble to reduce the inertial mass of the ship, thus requiring less Delta/V from teh Impulse engines to move the ship.

 

[Kirk McLoren]

Which begs the question, why didn't he?


There has been some conjecture (mostly in the trek tech forum) That the only way Impulse drives in trek could work with so little onboard propellant, is that it uses a subspace bubble to reduce the inertial mass of the ship, thus requiring less Delta/V from teh Impulse engines to move the ship.

I believe he didn't because although we are reasonably competent at analysis we are poor at synthesis. We think in force-distance rather than force-time.

 

[Albertese]

Kirk McLoren, if you build this thing and it works, you deserve the millions. Best of luck to you.

Though my high school level of formal education in physics tells me you might be overlooking some fundamental laws of nature. I could be wrong though.

--Alex

 

[sojourner]

Yep, there have been thousands of attempts at similar methods to this. They don't work.

Here's a similar concept:

http://www.rexresearch.com/cookip/cookip.htm

 

[FormerLurker]

I might be oversimplifying it, but it sounds dangerously close to a perpetual motion machine. If the "thrust" of this device is what I understand it to be, it might be better for steering than for propulsion. The whole action/reaction thing in micro-gravity would make the cycle of the piston waste energy pulling the weight of the piston back into the starting position slow enough to prevent canceling out the initial thrust. Even then, the return cycle would need to be fast enough to make whatever you're doing with it progress smoothly, and if it has to go too slow on the return cycle, that won't happen.

 

[bbailey861]

Kirk McLoren, if you build this thing and it works, you deserve the millions. Best of luck to you.

--Alex

This.

 

[1001001]

I let this ride for a little bit to see where it went, but I'm pretty sure this is not a discussion about Star Trek.

Kirk I hope you feel better soon. Good luck.

Moving to Science and Technology.

 

[Kirk McLoren]

Yep, there have been thousands of attempts at similar methods to this. They don't work.

Here's a similar concept:

http://www.rexresearch.com/cookip/cookip.htm

correct, they don't work as they suffer from symmetry. The energy required to change the orbiting radius matches the change in force. Mine has a rational for operation and is 40% efficient. A 3 body collision alters the vector on one side vs an elastic collision on the other. Build one, it is very simple.

I let this ride for a little bit to see where it went, but I'm pretty sure this is not a discussion about Star Trek.

Kirk I hope you feel better soon. Good luck.

Moving to Science and Technology.

I thought it Trekky because we hear about impulse engines on the Enterprise.

 

[Kirk McLoren]

I might be oversimplifying it, but it sounds dangerously close to a perpetual motion machine. If the "thrust" of this device is what I understand it to be, it might be better for steering than for propulsion. The whole action/reaction thing in micro-gravity would make the cycle of the piston waste energy pulling the weight of the piston back into the starting position slow enough to prevent canceling out the initial thrust. Even then, the return cycle would need to be fast enough to make whatever you're doing with it progress smoothly, and if it has to go too slow on the return cycle, that won't happen.

when I get out of here I will publish analysis and pictures. You input energy electrically using a bidirectional solenoid (permanent magnet reacting with electromagnet on H bridge and you drive it as hard as you can in both directions. It is the prime mover we have been waiting for.

 

[Amaris]

when I get out of here I will publish analysis and pictures. You input energy electrically using a bidirectional solenoid (permanent magnet reacting with electromagnet on H bridge and you drive it as hard as you can in both directions. It is the prime mover we have been waiting for.

I'm reminded of this:

"Put it in 'H'!"

 

[sojourner]

Build one, it is very simple.

It's your idea. I suggest you build it. Good luck getting it to work.

 

[Kirk McLoren]

It's your idea. I suggest you build it. Good luck getting it to work.

I have. Where do you think I got the 40% number? Such a simple machine and you cant see it.

 

[sojourner]

Then get NASA on the line and let them know you've solved the biggest problem in space flight.

 

[publiusr]

Which begs the question, why didn't he?


There has been some conjecture (mostly in the trek tech forum) That the only way Impulse drives in trek could work with so little onboard propellant, is that it uses a subspace bubble to reduce the inertial mass of the ship, thus requiring less Delta/V from teh Impulse engines to move the ship.

In the non-handwaving world. The only thing that can give a lot of oomph and not take up much space is the Nuclear Salt Water Rocket. But that isn't going to look like red-tail-lights on a sedan--if it works at all.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I think we would be happy to approach the cost per ton-mile of a 747. I believe the impulse engines on the show have ejecta. The Next Generation engines are a form of magnetohydrodynamic or magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. (wiki) Although the specific impulse is high it is still Newtonian equal and opposite reaction.
This engine has no ejecta. It is unique in that it has its own frame of reference.
As soon as I can go home I can make public disclosure. The device is so simple Edison could have built it.

It's similar to the engines in the movie "The Hunt For Red October" which was a magnetohydrodynamic drive that pushes water out the rear of the engine as thrust. I'm pretty sure they have actually tried this too as test platforms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetohydrodynamic_drive