> Michel Jullian wrote: > >> No extra force in oil, it works just the same as a lifter it's an EHD >> thruster, called "ion drag pump" when the medium is a dielectric liquid and >> the thruster is stationary: oil molecules are ionized, and ion current from a >> sharper electrode to a flatter electrode entrains neutrals.
Kyle R. Mcallister wrote: > I agree with this. It is also obvious to see the "flow" of oil around the > electrodes. One can use a clear oil, like mineral oil, and take a darkly > colored oil and squirt a bit into the mineral oil in front of the submerged > lifter and see how it is sucked through the lifter...it will grab onto and > carry quite a bit of extra oil along for the ride. "entrains neutrals" (MJ) and "extra oil along for the ride" (KM) tells me that the total weight that needs to be propelled is greater than the weight of the materials that comprise the lifter. The vacuum experiments may have proven that the presence of a medium of some kind is _necessary_, but I doubt the force derived from the ionic theory is _sufficient_ to MOVE the lifter _and_ the added medium mass that accompanies the lifter. If I am correct, then I suspect the primary role of the medium is to serve as a vital link in the system rather than as the location of the primary propulsive force. In addition the medium must be free to flow around the lifter because disrupting the flow appears to inhibit the motion of the lifter. Harry
