Is it possible to convert/transform Electricity to matter

[GurfX]

Hello,
For a future development, Me and a friend of mine were talking about some thruster technology and we wondered if it was possible to transform electricity to matter to create some sort of chemical thruster or using the matter to create an ion and use it as the thrust. well at least something like that and if that wasn't possible (which law of conservation of energy says so) then i have something below. I also heard something about transforming light to matter and you make light from electricity right? so if you can do that then could you use the matter created to make ions

Anyways i have an energy source (however big it needs to be) and the thruster which needs to be able to lift something like 100kg, what is needed and how could it be done. if at all possible, what type of different approaches can it be done in.

 

[toumaza]

I think you forgot this "energy can neither be created nor destroyed but transform form one form to the other. "

 

[GurfX]

Yeah, its included in the law of conservation

 

[DrClaude]

The short answer is that no, you won't be able to transform energy, whatever its form, into matter. (I'm not saying it is not possible, just that it's not the answer to your problem.)

I don't know much about the subject, but I would venture to say that to lift 100 kg, you will need a chemical rocket, an airplane, or a helicopter.

 

[Doug Huffman]

The energy/matter rate of conversion of energy to matter is well known - and large by any practical measure.

 

[GurfX]

The short answer is that no, you won't be able to transform energy, whatever its form, into matter. (I'm not saying it is not possible, just that it's not the answer to your problem.)

I respectfully disagree (to some extent)

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But anyways if its not the answer could and electricity somehow be converted to a sort of thrust

 

[berkeman]

I respectfully disagree (to some extent)

<< inappropriate source deleted by Mentor >>

But anyways if its not the answer could and electricity somehow be converted to a sort of thrust

Electricity is converted to low-level thrust in existing spacecraft . Can you research that please and post any specific questions about that reading?

 

[GurfX]

Yes i have researched some information about spacecraft propulsion but my focus is not on outer atmosphere thrusters, rather in Earth's atmosphere but the only one i found usefull was using ion propulsion to creat thrust using electricity to make ions for thrust

 

[berkeman]

Yes i have researched some information about spacecraft propulsion but my focus is not on outer atmosphere thrusters, rather in Earth's atmosphere but the only one i found usefull was using ion propulsion to creat thrust using electricity to make ions for thrust

You think you can do better than NASA in your design?

 

[Baluncore]

If you have a gas such as Earths atmosphere available, then the creation of a plasma by an electrical discharge would not require the conversion of electricity into matter.

but the only one i found usefull was using ion propulsion to creat thrust using electricity to make ions for thrust

Another technique could be to build something like a small pulse jet fired by a pulsed electrical discharge rather than a liquid fuel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsejet

 

[GurfX]

You think you can do better than NASA in your design?

haha no, not at this moment at least. but what I mean is that i don't want to use some of their projects because for example a solar sail *won't work on earth

If you have a gas such as Earths atmosphere available, then the creation of a plasma by an electrical discharge would not require the conversion of electricity into matter.

Another technique could be to build something like a small pulse jet fired by a pulsed electrical discharge rather than a liquid fuel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsejet

So for the plasma thruster, you can just use electricity to create a hot plasma from the air and to use it as a propellant? If I'm correct...

And for the pulse jet, they do require fuel as shown in this diagram

 

[Baluncore]

Yes, traditional pulse jets do require fuel to burn with air containing oxygen and so produce hot combustion products. You should be able to use an electrical discharge to do the same, without any fuel, just the discharge. The pulse would be a discharge of plasma heated air. Inlet valves would allow cold air to enter the plasma chamber, the cycle would then repeat with the next discharge.

 

[GurfX]

Yes, traditional pulse jets do require fuel to burn with air containing oxygen and so produce hot combustion products. You should be able to use an electrical discharge to do the same, without any fuel, just the discharge. The pulse would be a discharge of plasma heated air. Inlet valves would allow cold air to enter the plasma chamber, the cycle would then repeat with the next discharge.

Perfect, my friend was thinking the same thing but without the pulse jet engine. Great idea, thanks.

 

[Athul Prem]

In physics as per mass-energy equivalence we can convert. even at thigh temperature even photon -photon collsions lead to create mass I hope we can do the same in case of electric current but i hope even magnetism can play the role in it .
Brilliant question!

 

[GurfX]

yep e=mc² makes heat give the atom more mass virtually(if I am correct) so its why plasma or a hot gas can be used for propulsion, noticed it when welding and had a hot gas inside a cube with a hole, all the hot gas trying to escape made the cube move a little

 

[GurfX]

i hope even magnetism can play the role in it

By this do you mean using magnetism to speed up atoms to create more high energy collisions for more thrust efficiency?

 

[Athul Prem]

By this do you mean using magnetism to speed up atoms to create more high energy collisions for more thrust efficiency?
Yes My friend.

 

[GurfX]

Yes, a very good idea. hope to make this into practice soon

 

[Athul Prem]

Well I think we need high energy for this purpose ..

 

[GurfX]

haha yeah my next problem (ironman did it )

 

[berkeman]

Thread closed for Moderation...

 

[berkeman]

Thread will remain closed because of the low signal to noise ratio of the discussion.

To the OP -- please do some reading about Specific Impulse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_impulse

You will find that trying to gain propulsion by ionizing air is extremely inefficient.