Plasma-Air Engine

Submitted by tigga on Thu, 05/07/2020 - 08:19

This sounds extremely cool. 

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-created-a-fossil-fuel-free-jet-engine-prototype

"The device compresses air and ionizes it with microwaves, generating plasma that thrusts it forward, according to research published Tuesday in the journal AIP Advances. That means planes may someday fly using just electricity and the air around them as fuel."

"There's a long way to go between a proof-of-concept prototype and installing an engine in a real plane. But the prototype was able to launch a one-kilogram (2.2-pound) steel ball 24 millimeters (almost one inch) into the air. That's the same thrust, proportional to scale, as a conventional jet engine."

I mean, microwaves and air, two of our favorite things!

Only the mention of this fabled place name makes me think it must be too good to be true

"Our results demonstrated that such a jet engine based on microwave air plasma can be a potentially viable alternative to the conventional fossil fuel jet engine," lead researcher and Wuhan University engineer Jau Tang"