bobcook39...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
> An interesting alternative would be to use liquid H...
This type of experiment should have been attempted ... but surprisingly
- nothing relevant turns up in a quick search.
Can a cryogenic cold catalyst like Pd-Ag or Ni-Ag pass protons as ions
if they were in an intense magnetic field ? There could be an overlooked
commercial market. For instance, rocket propellant.
Think about this. Imagine a spacecraft where only LH is carried as fuel,
no LOX or other oxidizer. The thrust may be cold, but who cares?
You have saved lots of fuel weight by ditching the oxidizer - but how
much thrust do you get by pumping LH through a proton conducting
catalyst membrane like palladium or equivalent?
First off, everything can be superconducting - since you have "free
cryogenics" by virtue of using the LH as the fuel. Palladium hydride is
superconducting. (I do not know about Pd-Ag or Ni-Ag hydrides, as far as
being superconductive. If protons could be released on the "other side
of a membrane" [doubtful] and that other side represents the exhaust of
a rocket motor - then, voila...
We have a case for very cold ion acceleration in an intense but "free"
magnetic field using no oxidizer. Alternatively, if deuterium was used
and a few PPM were fused as it is passing through, then you have warm or
hot thrust.
Here are some interesting facts on LH with the associated gaps of knowledge.
1. Molecular hydrogen, despite its extraordinarily large bond
dissociation energy of 436
kJ/mol, readily dissociates in the presence of palladium at temperatures
as low as 37 K. Not sure what happens closer to 0 K.
2. Hydrogen atoms migrate from hole-to-hole through the matrix of
palladium very rapidly with minimal applied pressure. The speed of this
migration is incredible due to the mobility of protons.
3. The hydrogen density is greater in Pd than than in liquid hydrogen
and the palladium membrane would appear to be a "diode" in this case.
4. Palladium hydride is superconducting. Although molecular hydrogen is
diamagnetic, atomic hydrogen has a self-field of 12.5 Tesla due to the
electron. This should create a huge acceleration gradient since the
hydride is atomic in transit.
5. Normally, H2 is released after passing through a membrane by the
reverse process of hydrogen absorption and there is no net gain or loss
even though the matrix would normally heat up from additional pressure.
6. However, in a very large applied magnetic field, say 10 Tesla what
happens ? ... will protons be accelerated away from the membrane as
ions... as they emerge on the other side, or as molecular ions or as
molecules? Can a charged grid be used to boost acceleration?
7. If the LH enters on one side of a membrane and emerges as very cold
protons along magnetic field lines - the thrust could be very large -
much larger than combustion. Plus the lower weight.
Sure, we can agree that this scenario is most unlikely since it violates
the Laws of Thermodynamics (unless ultra-cold fusion occurs) but the
actual testing of the concept seems never to have been done...
hmmm... it is a safe bet that the large vapor trail in Oz is hydrogen
rich....
