Forums
L2 Sign Up
SLS/Orion
SpaceX
Commercial
ISS
International
Other
Shop
Home
Help
Tags
Calendar
Login
Register
Forums
»
General Discussion
»
Advanced Concepts
»
Loop-Hole Engine
1
Likes
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Down
Author
Topic: Loop-Hole Engine (Read 11751 times)
Iggyz
Member
Posts: 63
Liked: 9
Likes Given: 23
Loop-Hole Engine
«
on:
02/10/2020 08:18 am »
THE LOOP-HOLE ENGINE
The Loop-Hole Engine (please see attached picture) consists of a vacuum tube (A), maglev-track (C), a 20.000 kg maglev-shuttle (D), a 1.000 kg maglev-shuttle (G), two shock-absorbers (B and H) in case of a power-failure. Both shuttles are fitted with an electromagnet E and F, with the like poles facing each other.
Shuttles G switches on its electromagnet, next shuttle D switches its electromagnet on (or vice versa or simultaneously, depending on what is the most efficient) and because like poles repel each other, the shuttles accelerate in opposite directions, with shuttle probably accelerating twenty times faster than shuttle D, which is twenty times heavier. As soon as shuttle G reaches full speed it makes a full stop. Shuttle D brakes gently, after shuttle G started braking and creating forward momentum.
Imagine shuttle D is a 20.000 kg cannon and shuttle G a 1.000 kg projectile with a velocity of 10 meter per second. The kickback velocity of the cannon would be 0,5 meter per second (10×1.000/20.000), The kinetic energy of the recoiling cannon would be 2.500 joule (0,5×0,5×20.000/2). The kinetic energy of the projectile would be 50.000 joule (10×10×1.000/2).
The energy potential looks pretty large, even after deducting the energy generated by shuttle D’s recoil. The kinetic energy generated by moving shuttle D and G back to their starting position can be (partly) canceled out by moving shuttle D at a speed of 0,5 m/s and shuttle G at a speed of ~ 2,3 m/s.
Can this work?
Logged
edzieba
Virtual Realist
Senior Member
Posts: 6883
United Kingdom
Liked: 10514
Likes Given: 48
Re: Loop-Hole Engine
«
Reply #1 on:
02/10/2020 11:18 am »
Quote from: Iggyz on 02/10/2020 08:18 am
Can this work?
No. </Lar>
You do not get energy from nowhere, you just end up with, at best, the centre of mass of the system as a whole shifting around a bit (relative to the casing, the CoM remains stationary relative the an external observer) causing the external shell to move back and forth a bit.
Logged
Spaniard
Member
Posts: 73
Liked: 6
Likes Given: 1
Re: Loop-Hole Engine
«
Reply #2 on:
02/10/2020 12:05 pm »
The total net is the same with or without shuttle that remain in the track. The total momentum only change when a shuttle is separated.
If you remove the shuttle that remains, what you have is a classic rail launcher (on orbit). But that change of momentum will change the orbit of the launcher. You need that the new orbit won't be so low that risk its stability and use other kind of propulsion (for example, ion propulsion) to boost the orbit to regain the original propulsion.
So, in fact, there is no inmediate saving. But it can be interesting about the acceleration. Ion engines are slow, while a magnetic propulsion could be very fast (in fact, the idea is to be as fast as possible to make the launcher as smaller as possible).
You can see the launcher as some kind of "momentum battery". With heavy mass, it has a lot of momentum and launch a ship don't change the orbit too much, and it can gain the momentum again slow but efficient.
The shuttles gain momentum quickly what can be very useful to chage fast from one orbit to another.
Tethers can do the same too so both are technologies for consideration as momentum accumulators.
In fact, having spaceships, at different launches in opposite directions could save fuel too. For example, push ships to Earth fast so the launcher platform (railauncher or tether goes to a upper orbit) and other times send the ship to a Moon orbit.
Other propellentless mechanisms could allow gain momentum for free, like magnetic interactions with Earth's magnetosphere.
«
Last Edit: 02/10/2020 12:05 pm by Spaniard
»
Logged
Iggyz
likes this
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Up
Tags:
interstellar travel
space-ship propulsion
Forums
»
General Discussion
»
Advanced Concepts
»
Loop-Hole Engine
Advertisement
Tweets by NASASpaceflight
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
0