http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16172-invention-supersonic-hurricane-neutraliser.html
Invention: Supersonic hurricane neutraliser a.. 16:04 01 December 2008 by Justin Mullins b.. For similar stories, visit the Invention Topic Guide Could a pair of jet fighters circling at supersonic speed neutralise a hurricane's power (Image:Wipo) Enlarge image Each year, hurricanes or typhoons may cause billions of dollars' worth of damage and a large number of fatalities. It would be hugely significant if we could find an effective way of reducing the destructive power of these storms, which convert heat energy from warm oceans into damaging kinetic energy in the atmosphere. Now Arkadii Leonov at the University of Akron in Ohio says that the complex air flows and other atmospheric "machinery" that produce this prodigious power are surprisingly delicate. Supersonic solution In a patent application, Leonov and colleagues say that they can put a spanner in the atmospheric works by flying supersonic jet aircraft in concentric circles around a hurricane's eye, the calm area around which the storm rotates. The idea is that the sonic-boom shockwave would dramatically raise air pressure in the eye, disrupting the upward flow of warm air that drives the hurricane. But how many planes would you need? Sonic booms spread out as they travel away from an aircraft, so even a small number of relatively small aircraft could do the job, say Leonov and colleagues. "Two F-4 jet fighters flying at approximately Mach 1.5 are sufficient to suppress, mitigate and/or destroy a typical sized hurricane/typhoon," they claim in their application. Read the full sonic boom hurricane suppression patent application. Since the 1970s, New Scientist has run a column uncovering the most exciting, bizarre or even terrifying new patented ideas - find the latest stories in our continually updated topic guide. Read past Inventions: Secret message finder, Month-long aircraft flights, Microscopic bio-robot slaves, Personal life mapper, Diamond dialysis implant, Healing accelerator, Bespoke spinal splints, Excrement antibiotic, Self-replicating materials, Treatment for fragile X, and Dust buster. http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?WO=2008094226&IA=US2007021971&DISPLAY=DESC [In reviewing the patent, if one can make it through the patent lawyer doubletalk, the misspelled words and repeated sentences, several problems are evident with the idea itself. First, I doubt that the energy from the sonic booms will be as concentrated all along the path of the wave as would be required to effect air flow in the eye wall. And even if some of the circulation was temporarily disrupted, hurricanes are notoriously resilient and a new eye wall can and usually reforms somewhere else in the storm. http://www.sky-flash.com/boom.htm Second, contrary to the patent, flying jet aircraft at any speed, subsonic or supersonic in a hurricane is extremely risky. Jet aircraft require that air flow be uniform across both wings and unlike propellar driven aircraft, cannot compensate for changes due to turbulence that are likely at the altitudes described in the patent. That's why wind shear is such a problem for commercial flights. I thought it ironic that the F-4 was proposed, given that it is now relegated by the USAF for target practice. It has been used to study sonic booms, however. Finally, the use of sonic booms near the sea surface to generate upwelling of colder water is implausible. The amount of energy produced is insufficient to move very much water and would be quickly dissipated. But, since we have several ace weathermen here who have experience at least in some of the theories of hurricane mitigation, not to mention my own idea of creating wind shear, what say you about the F-4 Hurricane Buster? AG] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
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