Submitted via IRC for fyngyrz
Navy files for patent on room-temperature superconductor
A scientist working for the U.S. Navy has filed for a patent on a room-temperature superconductor, representing a potential paradigm shift in energy transmission and computer systems.
Salvatore Cezar Pais is listed as the inventor on the Navy's patent application made public by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday.
The application claims that a room-temperature superconductor can be built using a wire with an insulator core and an aluminum PZT (lead zirconate titanate) coating deposited by vacuum evaporation with a thickness of the London penetration depth and polarized after deposition.
An electromagnetic coil is circumferentially positioned around the coating such that when the coil is activated with a pulsed current, a non-linear vibration is induced, enabling room temperature superconductivity.
"This concept enables the transmission of electrical power without any losses and exhibits optimal thermal management (no heat dissipation)," according to the patent document, "which leads to the design and development of novel energy generation and harvesting devices with enormous benefits to civilization."
(Score: 4, Interesting) by fyngyrz on Sunday February 24 2019, @09:32PM (1 child)
FWIW (which may not be much, or even anything), the patent does not seem to be claiming superconductivity via cooper pairs.
It also struck me that if the navy, via a contractor or whatever, had actually discovered superconductivity of this nature, the very last thing they would do would be to file a patent that tells every other country how to do it as well, considering the value of superconductivity in things like railguns and so on.
Then it struck me that perhaps the patent describes the wrong thing in such a way as to discourage research in or around an area where they've had some degree of success.
Or, you know, the patent submitter is just another kook. 😊
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(√(-shit))²
Shit just got real
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Monday February 25 2019, @01:23AM
Yes... that's why I came back to this thread. Thinking about what use would a pulsed current array super conductor have. This would be perfect for a rail gun, a project the navy has been working on for close to two decades.
https://globalnews.ca/video/4811086/u-s-navy-demonstrates-electromagnetic-railgun [globalnews.ca]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS0KgdzMB5A [youtube.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railgun [wikipedia.org]
https://science.howstuffworks.com/rail-gun1.htm [howstuffworks.com]
You can build your own:
http://www.doityourselfgadgets.com/2013/10/homemade-railgun.html [doityourselfgadgets.com]
https://hackaday.com/2015/11/09/the-most-powerful-diy-railgun/ [hackaday.com]
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wjxmmz/this-guy-built-a-semi-automatic-portable-railgun [vice.com]
When life isn't going right, go left.