This week we will discover the first successful Rotating Detonation Engine to be sent into space. We will also look at how the Earth’s Magnetic Field is helping with archeology and new evidence of a 200 million year cycle in the strength of the Magnetic Field. Finally we examine a new solar desalination machine that is up to 400% more efficient than current models. Great for remote communities in dry and dessert areas that need drinking water.
Rotating Detonation Engines
One of the problems with Space Travel is the large amount of fuel needed to escape the gravitational pull of the earth.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has just successfully demonstrated the operation of a “rotating detonation engine” in space. The engine was mounted on the S-520-31 single stage rocket. This rocket has the capability of launching a 100kg payload above 300kilometers into space.
The engine uses spinning explosions inside a ring channel. This generates a large amount of efficient thrust from a much smaller engine. A more efficient and smaller engine uses significantly less fuel. This will reduce the weight of rockets and lower the costs of launches.
The engine produced 500 Newtons of Force, enough to propel a small rocket to space In comparison the SpaceX Falcon 9, has 9 engines that produce approximately 22,000,000 Newtons of Force. This is equivalent to 18 Jumbo jets. There is some way to go before engines of that power are developed however it is clearly in the future.
Rotating Detonation Engines were first worked on at the University of Michigan in the 1950’s. The US Navy is believed to have successfully demonstrated a Rotating Detonation Engine for use in ships in 2020. JAXA hopes to deploy the engine commercially by 2025. The US Navy is aiming to use their engine in ships around the same time.
The Earth’s Magnetic Field is teaching us about History
Researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia in Rome and University of California, San Diego have uncovered findings about the Earth’s magnetic field in the Middle East between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago.
By examining pottery and burnt flints from archeological sites in Jordon. The magnetic field at that time can be deduced from the magnetic fields found within tiny crystals of ferromagnetic materials found in the pottery and flints. These crystals are frozen in time when the pottery or flint is first heated and remain that way until the pottery or flint is reheated.
As we examine more artifacts we are able to build a time line of the movement in the Earth’s magnetic field. Conversely as we build a better knowledge of the movement in the Earth’s magnetic field we will be able to date artifacts much more precisely. Geological dating is on a scale of thousands of years. Using the magnetic fields dating can be reduced to hundreds of years and in some cases tens of years. Artifacts found with the same characteristic of specific known destruction events can be given exact dates.
The Earth’s magnetic field is generated some 3,000 kilometers below the surface (the deepest that we have drilled is about 20 kilometers). It protects us from the continual bombardment of cosmic radiation from space and is critical in enabling life as we know it.
We only invented the equipment to monitor the magnetic field some 200 years ago. Since that time we have seen a constant reduction in the field strength. By examining artifacts from the length of human history we can now gain a better understanding of the movement in the strength of the earth’s magnetic field over the past 10,000 plus years.,
Evidence of a 200 Million year cycle in the Earth’s Magnetic Field
Whist we are talking about the Earth’s Magnetic Field, scientists at the University of Liverpool have found further evidence of an approximately 200 million year cycle in the strength of the field.
A thermal paleomagntiec analysis (a new technique) of rocks from ancient lava flows (again a heating event which traps the magnetic field) in Eastern Scotland has given us data on the strength of the magnetic field during key time periods for which we had no previous data. They were also able to examine the reliability of measurements from samples from 200 to 500 million years ago.
From this analysis they were able to deduce the 200 million year cycle. We know that the magnetic field is not stable in strength over time and space. It also has the ability to flip. We spoke about the movement in the Poles and the Magnetic Field flipping in February. You can read it here.
A weak magnetic field has implications for life on the planet. The findings also provide evidence that weak magnetic fields are associated with pole reversals (which take between 1,000 and 10,000 years). The Earth’s Magnetic Field is currently weakening however we don’t know when the poles will flip.
Rotating Water Desalination Device
Researchers at Ural Federal University in Russia have developed a new desalination technology that is up to 400% more efficient than current methods.
Using solar energy and a rotating cylinder to speed up evaporation and distillation of water, the method will significantly reduce the cost of desalination for millions of people around the world. The cylinder is slowly rotated by the DC motor operating off solar energy. The hollow cylinder is housed inside a rectangular basin. The film of water on the outer and inner surface is constantly renewed with each turn of the cylinder. The water below the cylinder is heated using a solar collector.
The team has operated prototypes since 2019 and they have discovered that rotating the cylinder at 0.5rpm allows the maximum evaporation of water. During the hotter months the system is 280% more efficient. This rises to 400% during the colder months. A simple solution for many that struggle to have clean available drinking water.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
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Till next week.