Patent Application
20160049839
The present invention refers to a device and a process for the generation of electrical energy by way of the decay of muons (μ), originating from cosmic particles, called pions.
The muon is an elementary particle called “a second generation partner” of the electron with a mass approximately 200 times greater than an electron, although with the same spin (½) and the same charge. It was discovered in 1937 in cosmic radiation. This particle is not influenced by strong interactions and only participates in weak and electromagnetic interactions. The muon is very unstable and has a life time of 2·10−6 and normally decays in an electron, a μ-neutrino and an electron-neutrino.
As it is known so far, photonic generators exist, called solar cells, capable of capturing light particles called photons (solar panels) from the sun, and transforming them into electric energy; see, for example, the US patent document No. 20090127773. However, this technology suffers from meteorological restrictions as it is dependent on sunlight thus limiting the industrial applicability. On the other hand, there exist devices called muon detectors; see, for example, the US patent document No. 20090101824. These devices have the function of detecting or counting the number of muons arising from cosmic rays that naturally reach the earth's surface, not taking advantage of them to produce electrical energy. However, these particles have very high energy, typically from 3 to 4 GeV. This fact is mentioned in the Brazilian Journal of Physics Teaching (“Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Fisica”), volume 29, No. 4, pages 585-591 (2007) in a didactic article about a simple experiment of muon detection and a discussion about the lifetime of the particle. However, this article makes no mention of a possible extraction of energy from the muons.
Reference is also made to the U.S. Pat. No. 7,863,751, which describes a detector of muons. However, as the title of this patent says, it only refers to the detector of muons, and not a captivator of energy inherent to the muons.
A first application relating to this invention was filed on 5 Oct. 2012 with the number PCT/BR2012/000382.
Thus, a main object of the present invention is to offer a device that can utilize the inherent energy of muons to produce energy.
A further object of the present invention is to produce energy independent of meteorological conditions.
Another object of the present invention is to utilize a source of energy that does not pollute the environment.
Very surprisingly, these objectives were achieved through a device that extracts energy inherent to muons and transforms it into electrical energy, according to the features defined in claim 1.
The order of magnitude of muon flux at the earth's surface is about 10−4/m2·s and therefore, the flux of muons is negligible. For example, to achieve a power of 760 kW (equivalent to 4, 7·1015 eV/s), considering that each muon has an energy of 4 GeV, it would take a flow of the order of 1015 muons/s. To compensate for said negligible flow, it would be necessary to increase the capture area of muons with coils of areas equivalent to the area of several cities, which would be totally inviable. Nevertheless, and very surprisingly, the device according to the present invention can capture a sufficient number of muons to enable a realistic extraction of muonic energy from the air and is highly economical in an area of less than half a square meter. Without being limited to a probable physics theory, it is believed that the explanation is as follows:
A magnet has “closed” and “open” field lines, which form an angle Θ between them tending to zero. Likewise the magnetic field from the primary coil of the muonic generator according to the invention also has both types of magnetic lines. Thus the “open” field lines propagate to high altitudes including the region of the formation of muons, at an altitude of 10 kilometers, forming a magnetic funnel whose top “opening” can have a radius of dozens of kilometers. It is these lines that will collimate atmospheric muons into the coil of the generator of the present invention, whose diameter is for example only a few centimeters. Thus, the magnetic field of the coil acts as a muon drain, which is oscillating in time. This frequency of oscillation of the field has a wavelength λB that is a fraction multiple of the Compton wavelength of the muon λC (λB=n·λC=n·5, 88×10−23 m) so that the energy of the magnetic field used in the captation process is reduced as much as possible and is selective of muons only. The whole process above applies in cases in which the coil of the muonic generator presents its axis horizontally, vertically or at any angle between these.
We calculated the area of detection of atmospheric muons required for an output power of 760 kW in a muonic generator. It is known that on the surface of the earth there are on average 104 muons per square meter per second. At the top of the troposphere, at an altitude of about 10 km, the rate of muons is ten times greater than at the earth's surface. Accordingly, at an altitude of 10 km, the rate of muons is φ=105 muons·m−2·s−1. The power output of the muonic generator is P=760 000 W or 4·1024 eV s−1=4·1015 GeV s−1. Considering that the energy of each muon is Ei=4 GeV and at the top of the troposphere, where they are captured by the “magnetic cone”, the flow is φ=105 muons·m−2·s−1, then the total energy is
Inserting the values in Equation 1 we get E=4×105 GeV·m−2·s−1.
For the muonic generator to produce an output power of Es=4·1015 GeV per second the following area will be needed
A=104 km2. In other words, the radius of the “mouth” of the magnetic cone at an altitude of 10 km should be R≈50 km.
Every muon can be captured by an oscillator tuned to the frequency of wave function. Thus, a muonic coil is capable of capturing and concentrating (converging, directing) into itself this flow of atmospheric muons in particle form.
It is known that electrical power can be expressed by the following relationship:
P=U·i
In which: P=electrical power (kW), U=tension (V) and i =electric current (A).
Table 1 below presents results obtained from tests carried out by means of the process and device (
It can be observed by way of the coefficient of performance (COP)—defined as the ratio between output power and input power of the muonic electromagnetic generator—that with a little input power can transform the muons coming from cosmic rays into large quantities of electrical energy, without compromising the environment or emitting radiation.
The voltage output from the muonic generator follows a function of 4 variables:
V=F(f, D, N, L);
where f is the frequency of the oscillator, D is the diameter of the coil, N is the number of turns of the coil and L is the length of the coil. The atmospheric muons can penetrate about 1 km in the ground and 2 km in sea water. Furthermore, they only form in altitudes of less than 12 km. Therefore, these distances are the limit of applicability (functionality) of a muonic generator. On the other hand, the concentration of muons at 12 km is about 10 times their concentration at the earth's surface. Thus, stationary generators atop high mountains are an interesting option in order to produce electrical energy. A magnetic anomaly exists in the atmosphere of South America such that the concentration of cosmic rays (muons) is about three times that registered in other areas (without the anomaly). This fact can be used to achieve higher production of muonic energy in areas of magnetic anomaly. The muonic electromagnetic generator has wide industrial usage, with the purpose of generating electrical energy for general consumption (industrial, commercial and residential), automotive vehicles (ships, trains, planes, helicopters, submarines, etc) and other means of transport, among other devices that are dependent on electricity, such as hydraulic pumps, compressors, radios, telephones, etc.
FIG. 1—represents the wiring diagram of the muonic electromagnetic generator with its fundamental parts.
FIG. 2—represents an electro-mechanical alternative to the muonic electromagnetic generator, with high Coefficient of performance (COP).
FIG. 3—represents the upper section (along the diameter), and the section along the axis of the coil of the muonic electromagnetic generator.
FIG. 4—represents the details of construction of a frequency inverter which converts the output voltage of the muonic electromagnetic generator in three-phase sine wave for use in any industrial load (e.g. three-phase motors)
FIG. 5—shows the coupling within the oscillator.
FIG. 6—represents the flowchart illustrating the physical process to capture and transform the decay of muons coming from cosmic rays into electrical energy through high flow of electrons coming from this decay.
The muonic electromagnetic generator in
As it is well known to the man skilled in the art that the electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a repetitive electronic signal, frequently a sinus wave or a square wave, without the need to apply an external signal. An oscillator is based on an amplifier circuit and a feedback loop, which induces operational instability that results in oscillation.
Various types of oscillators can be used in the present invention. An example is the Hartley oscillator (whose construction is comprised in this description by this reference), which is a type of LC oscillator, i.e., when the frequency of the signal produced is determined by a coil and a capacitor. When the circuit is switched on, the resistor polarizes the base of the transistor close to saturation, thus causing conduction. A strong current flows between the collector and the power supply, connecting the central socket through the coil. The result is that current in half of the coil induces in the other half of the same coil a current that is reapplied to the base of the transistor through the capacitor.
A power grid usually presents countless noises coming from electro-domestic appliances such as switched-mode power supplies and electric motors. This noise reaches frequencies of up to 20 kHz. These high frequency noises can interfere negatively in the functioning of the muonic generator. So the said inductive filter 5 is used to eliminate the noise of the network, thereby protecting the generator from these undesirable interferences. The construction of such an inductive filter is well known to the man skilled in the art.
Said spark-gap is connected in series with an oscillator 4 and with an outer coil 7 and has the purpose of amplifying the magnetic field to attract and concentrate the muons. The outer coil 7 can be made from copper wire. However, other metals or alloys of good conductivity can be used, like for example zinc, silver, gold, bronze, brass, etc. The wire includes a cylindrical layer of insulating material of the type commercialized on the market, like for example teflon, vinyl, etc. Depending on the power and current of the source, the wire can have a diameter varying between 0, 5 mm and 5 cm, depending on the current. Coil 7 can have a radius of 2 cm to 1 m, and a length of 10 cm to 10 m, depending again on the current. The outer coil 7 can have one or more layers of wire, but preferably, it has only one layer. Adjacent turns of the coil should be without spaces or spaces of less than 0,1 mm.
The inner coil 1 is preferably supported on the core or support 12, which is produced from an electrically insulating material. Therefore, this support 12 can be a tube of PVC or any other plastic material. Although less preferred, it can also be a magnetic material, such as ferrite. Normally, the inner coil 13 should be produced with a thicker wire than the outer coil 7, since it must withstand external load, from a few W to several kW. Therefore, the wire of the inner coil 13 can have a thickness varying between 1 mm and 10 cm, depending on the current of the external load. The two coils can have the same length. The inner coil 13 can have one or more layers, but preferably it should also have only one layer. Between the two coils 7 and 13 is a substantially cylindrical insulating layer 30. It can be made from a synthetic polymer, polypropylene, teflon, PVC, etc. The thickness of the insulating layer 30 can be between 0, 5 and 20 mm.
The outer radius of the core 12 is preferably from 5 cm to 1 m. The thickness of the core cylinder (=12) is from 1 to 10 cm. The core 12 has substantially the same length as the two coils 7 and 13, or for practical reasons, said core is slightly longer than the dual coil 7, 13.
According to
According to a preferred embodiment, the oscillator 4 has a structure constituted by a resonator 29, formed by an oscillating quartz crystal D and two ceramic capacitors B and C. The resonator 29 oscillates when connected to the programmable integrated circuit 32 via the terminals 15 and 16. The PIC (“Programmable Integrated Circuit”) 32 is fed via pins 5 and 14 with a voltage of 5 V coming from a source composed by a current-limiting capacitor J and a rectifier diode I, and a resistor F with a resistance around 10 000 Ohms. Moreover, the voltage of 5 V is provided by a filter capacitor H used for reducing the ripple tension (well-known term for the skilled man) and a Zener diode G, which fixates the desired voltage for feeding the PIC 32. In the present example, the diode G is for 5 V. The resistor F is connected with pin 4 of PIC 32. The excitation of coil 7 comes from pin 17 which circulates via tunnel or Gunn diode 39 and via the spark-gap 6, which activates the primary winding of a small transformer K, which generates and transmits the oscillation of the system to a tank circuit or LC circuit formed by a capacitor E and the primary coil 7. The purpose of the spark-gap 6 is to generate peaks of magnetic field by means of discharges (or, in practice, shortcircuits) of the capacitor E in coil 7. In practice, the spark-gap functions as an ON/OFF switch in the LC circuit. “Tank circuit” or LC circuit is the name given to a secondary oscillating circuit formed basically by a capacitor and by a coil, in the case above by coil 7 and capacitor E. The tunnel or Gunn diode 39 is inserted in the oscillator 4 as the third individual oscillation component, whose purpose is adding its frequency with the frequencies of the resonator 29 and the LC circuit of coil 7 and capacitor E. The insulating and elevating transformer K acts as an insulator between said LC circuit and the diode 39 together with resonator 29.
As indicated above, it is an essential characteristic of the present invention that the oscillator 4 is tuned to the frequency of the wave function to capture the energy created by the decay of muons in the centre of the core 12 in relation to the above equation λB=n×λC=n×5.88×10−23 m. Empirically it was established that λB should be around 5,88324456243×10−23 m. This wavelength is obtained with great precision by way of a “chip” or integrated circuit PIC (“Programmable Integrated Circuit”), which is programmed to oscillate at exactly this wavelength. The programming of the integrated circuit is done by way of a PIC commercial programmer. Notwithstanding the illustrations and descriptions of the above patent, some modifications and alterations may occur to those skilled in this technique. It is noteworthy, therefore, that the claims described below are intended to encompass all possible modifications and alterations, including those resulting from associations or combinations of more than one device, which can arise from the present invention, without this changing its purpose.
A commercial battery of 9 V and 0,1 A (therefore, of 0.9 W), which was connected to a device as in
Once again in accordance with
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/BR2013/000107 | Apr 2013 | BR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/BR2014/000112 | 4/7/2014 | WO | 00 |
