Peter Plichta's One Stage Rocket Disc@NASA Spaceflight . comhttp://tinyurl.com/pgphzwx" In 1933 the chemist Alfred Stock published his
book
Hydrides of Boron and Silicon in the United
States. During and following the First World War
he worked at the Technische Hochschule in Karlsruhe,
Germany and showed that silicon-hydrogen compounds
could be synthesized. Because the element silicon
is listed in the periodic table below the element
carbon, this result was actually expected. Stock
managed to reach a chain length of 4 silicon atoms,
with the first two silanes being gaseous, the third
and fourth liquid. All these silanes are very highly
prone to self-ignition.
In 1970 Peter Plichta disproved the textbook theory
that the higher silanes are unstable. One of his
achievements was to create a mixture of silanes with
the chain lengths 5 to 10 (Si5H12 to Si10H22). He
also managed to separate the oil into the individual
silanes by means of gas chromatic analysis. This
showed the surprising result that silanes with a
chain length of over 7 silicon atoms will no longer
ignite spontaneously and can thus be used for
commercial purposes. . .
It has been known since 1924 that nitrogen at a
temperature of 1400°C reacts with powdered
silicon to form silicon-nitride while emitting heat.
This material can resist temperatures of up to
1900°C, indicating a very high bonding strength
in the molecule. In contrast to silicon, carbon
atoms cannot burn for reasons of quantum
mechanics, which means that rocket fuel such
as kerosene, liquid hydrogen and hydrazine in
an air-breathing engine can do nothing with the
80% nitrogen contained in the air but agitate
it through the engine. . .
Peter Plichta got the idea of constructing a disc in
which jet-turbines attached to shafts would drive two
ring-shaped blade rings rotating in opposite directions.
This will cause the disc to be suspended by the air just
like a helicopter. The craft can then be driven sideways
by means of a drop-down rocket engine. When a speed of
over 200 km/h has been reached, the turbines for the
blade rings will be switched off and covered to enhance
the aerodynamic features of the shape. The craft will
now be borne by the up-draft of the air, just like an
aircraft is. This will also mean that the critical power
required for rocket ascent will not be necessary. When
the spacecraft is orbiting the planet, the N2/O2 mixture
of the air will first be fed in through a drop-down air
intake when the craft is still at a low altitude of 30
km (1% air pressure). This will be conducted to the
rocket motor and the craft will thus accelerate to a
speed of 5000-8000 km/hour. This is where a standard
rocket jettisons its first stage, because by then about
75% of the fuel has already been used up.
The disc on the other hand will continue to accelerate
to 20,000 km/h and will thus reach an altitude of approx.
50 km (1 per thousand of air pressure). The speed will
increase as the air pressure drops, so that the process
can be continued until an altitude of approx. 80
kilometres and 25,000 km/h can be maintained. In
order to reach the required speed of 30,000 km/h and
an altitude of around 300 km, only a single measure
of oxidation agent will be needed at the end.
In the hot combustion chamber silanes decompose
spontaneously into hydrogen and silicon radicals.
The hydrogen is burned by the oxygen in the air and
water formed. Because molecular nitrogen is very tightly
bonded, it must be preheated and subject to catalytic
dissociation. The extremely hot silicon radicals will
provide additional support for this process, which will
in turn lead to silicon nitride (Hf = -750 kJ) being
formed. In order to burn superfluous nitrogen, larger
amounts of Mg, Al or Si powder can be added to the
silane oil.
When the spacecraft is returning from space the
ceramic-protected underside of the disc will brake its
speed to approximately 500 km/h and the covering will
open again, while the blade rings will automatically
begin to rotate. The jet turbines will then be started
for the landing operation. "
Some slick YouTube presentations in German follow,
with scathing ( and occasionally on-point ) commentary
from the Forum members.
Complaints about the greater part of Plichta's work
only being available in German aside, I would be
interested in knowing how his long-chained liquid
silane fuel "doped" with powdered metals perform in
comparison with conventional rocket fuels such as
kerosene and hydrazine, and what ( if any ) chance
there is of seeing long-chained liquid silane-fueled
engines on our highways in the near future.
[
Edit 1/2/2016 : The articles also mention
silicon nitride as a by-product of combustion.
That may be well and good for purposes of
rocketry, but can we expect any crust or
scale accumulation in a turbine or some
other engine burning liquid silanes for
fuel? ]
Miethe provided the inspiration for Plichta's
craft, and you'll find a description of
Plichta's vehicle at the bottom of the page
below :
Miethe Elektrische Luft Turbine
Unmanned V-7by Rob Arndthttp://tinyurl.com/hc7594fTurning Sand into Fuel
- Silicon Oil as an Energy Carrier@ Hasselberger . comhttp://tinyurl.com/y8qrwykNote :
You need to sign up to view the patents
available on FreePatentsOnline.
Signing up is free, and I happen to like
the search engine at FPO better than that
of the USPTO or that of GooglePatents.
Below are a few links to the relevant patents :
Method and Apparatus for Operating
a Gas Turbine with Silane Oil as FuelUnited States Patent 5996332Inventor: Peter Plichta, Dusseldorf, Germany
Assignee: Klaus Kunkel, Ratingen, Germany
Filed: 01/30/1998
Published: 12/07/1999
Abstract :The invention relates to a method of driving a
shaft by reaction of silanes, preferably silane
oils, with air in a double combustion chamber and
an associated drive mechanism.
The hydrogen of the silanes reacts in the first
combustion chamber with an insufficient level of
oxygen of the air supplied, thereby producing high
temperatures.
At said high temperatures, the nitrogen from the
air supplied reacts with the silicon of the silane
to form silicon nitride.
The resultant combustion gases and dust and the
non-combusted hydrogen are mixed in the second
combustion chamber with a large quantity of cold
compressed air, the hydrogen undergoing late burning,
and they subsequently enter a turbine chamber to
actuate turbine blades connected to a shaft.
The method is particularly environmentally-friendly
since no toxic or polluting waste gases are produced.
Free to Read / Download
@ FreePatentsOnlinehttp://tinyurl.com/htyo6j5===================
Reusable SpacecraftInventors: Peter Plichta; Walter Buttner,
both of Dusseldorf, Germany.
Assignee: Klaus Kunkel, Dusseldorf, Germany
United States Patent 5730390Filed: 11/13/1995
Published: 03/24/1998
Abstract :A reusable space craft having a disk-shaped casing
which receives buoyancy upon horizontal travel through
a gas atmosphere and three drive systems on the casing.
A first drive system utilizes counter-rotating rotors
driven by jet engines on the periphery. A second drive
system utilizes a rocket rotor which can swing out from
the bottom of the casing into an inclined position. The
third drive system is a main thruster rocket at the center
of the bottom fueled by an Si5 to Si9 silane propellant.
Free to Read / Download
@ FreePatentsOnlinehttp://tinyurl.com/z8mcygo==========================
Discus-Shaped Aerodyne Vehicle for Extremely
High VelocitiesUnited States Patent 5836543Inventors; Klaus Kunkel, HerbartStrasse 6A,
D-40882, Ratingen; Peter Plichta,
Dusseldorf, both of Germany
Assignee: Klaus Kunkel, Ratingen, Germany
Filed: 08/01/1996
Published: 11/17/1998
Abstract :A discus-shaped aircraft is provided with a peripheral
jet arrangement for generating lift and, in the bottom
of the aircraft, at least one rocket engine supplied
with silicon hydride and compressed air and operated
under conditions in which the silicon hydride is reacted
with nitrogen of the compressed air to form silicon
nitride while the nitrogen of the silicon hydride
compounds reacts with oxygen to form H2O.
Free to Read / Download
@ FreePatentsOnlinehttp://tinyurl.com/jtjhxxh===========================
Process for Operating a Reaction-Type Missile Propulsion
System and Missile Propulsion SystemUnited States Patent 5775096Inventor: Peter Plichta, Bruhnstrasse 6a,
D-40225 Dusseldorf. Germany
Filed: 07/18/1996
Published: 07/07/1998
Abstract :A method for accelerating a vehicle in the atmosphere,
space or aerospace includes the steps of supplying a
propellant having silicone hydride compounds into a
combustion chamber, compressing air and delivering
compressed air into a ring formed with a plurality of
circumferential orifices which open into the combustion
chamber, reaching thereby temperatures of about 3000°C.
cracking nitrogen molecules present in the air at the
temperature which attack the silicon atoms to generate
great mass.
Free to Read / Download
@ FreePatentsOnlinehttp://tinyurl.com/zb3vzz2===========================