Lost Technologies

From: Tony Hollick (anduril@cix.compulink.co.uk)
Date: Tue Jan 27 1998 - 11:08:00 MST


"Warrl kyree Tale'sedrin" <warrl@mail.blarg.net> writes:

 And I _still_ want to know what that language is! And its mythology!

 (Mine's Quenya, or perhaps Sindarin: Elvish Glossary available on request!)

> I've heard numerous stories along this line.
>
> There is one essential fact:
>
> **ALL** US patents are a matter of public record unless **THE US
> GOVERNMENT** has stepped in and classified them.
>
> If you hear a story about an oil company suppressing a patent for a
> highly efficient engine, there are three possibilities:
>
> (1) the story is true, the patent is on file and publically
> accessible, and someone should produce the patent number so that
> anyone can confirm the story -- failure to do so is careless
> rumor-mongering.
>
> (2) the story is true and THE US GOVERNMENT -- not an oil company --
> is suppressing it.
>
> (3) the story is false, at least to the extent that no such device
> was patented.
>
> Considering that the first such story I heard was from my father and
> alleged that the high-performance high-mileage engine was developed
> in the early 1960s, I am quite certain that at least some of these
> patents (if they ever existed) have expired by now. They would still
> be on file and it would now be legal for anyone to start producing
> them without any licensing requirements or royalties.
>
> There's another twist to that. It was a standing joke in the Soviet
> Union that said country's greatest inventor was Comrade Reguspatoff.
> If you wonder at the joke, let me add a bit of punctuation to the
> comrade's name:
> Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.
> If such super-engines, super-carburetors, etc. were on file with the
> US patent office, we *would* see them in Soviet-made military
> vehicles.
>
> We don't.
>
> Unless you assume that the global news media are also in on this
> conspiracy to keep these things from us.

      This is an excellent concise summary. But there are a few puzzles.

      
      Here are a few, chosen (almost) at random.
      
      [1] French-Rumanian aeronautic engineer Henri Coanda (of 'Coanda
      Bubble' fame!) was the world's leading aerofoil section designer --
      his was the first library of aerofoil sections. In [1932] he
      invented 'Lenticular Aerodynes' capable of VTOL _and_ fast
      translational flight. Idea is, we direct blown airflows over the
      craft's surface (just like blown flaps) and it rises vertically into
      the air. Vectored thrust gives you gentle translation into level
      flight. The aerodynamics are magnificent (especially for air
      combat dogfights and RPVs).

      Coanda didn't have lightweight superefficent turbo-compressors. We
      surely do, now.
      
      I phoned them up, and discussed this project extensively with
      Lockheed's Advanced Projects Division at Palmdale three or four
      years back. The name 'Richard M. Bissell' opens many doors... They
      built the U-2s and SR-71s together.

      Coanda's idea works... Would you believe us if we landed one right
      on the White House lawn? >:-}

      Oddly enough, Lockheed Palmdale later sent _me_ a non-disclosure
      agreement... >:-}

            
      [2] BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene, generic, E321) is a potent zapper
      of lipid-coated viruses as well as free radicals (Ref: Pearson &
      Shaw, 'L:ife Extension'). No side effects, five bucks a kilo. Much
      better than megadoses of Vit. C; and your threshhold of infection is
      raised by orders of magnitude. Existing viral infections are
      suppressed. Just go look at the list of lipid-coated viruses
      sometime... No more 'flu either, Max!

      [3] Internal Evaporative Cooling by water-injection.
      Internal-combustion engines run much more economically, cooler and
      cleaner, if you inject water into the explosion cycle. The big WWI
      Wright Cyclone radials (I've flown with these!) showed 50% fuel
      economies.
      
      Water is vastly cheaper than petrol... OK, you need two tanks, and
      you have to fill up at two pumps. The technology can usually be
      retrofitted. Scrap the (absurd) external cooling system.
      

      [4] If we direst .2MeV protons into Lithium-7 nuclei, we get this:
      
      .2 MeV proton --> Li-7 --> Be-8 --> 2 Alpha particles at 17 MeV.

      This is a _fusion interaction_ which takes place at Standard
      Temperature and Pressure, and which shows a huge energy surplus.
      Cockroft and Walton got a Nobel Prize for discovering it in [1932].

      In principle, a fusion reactor would comprise a proton accelerator
      and a lithium target and a heat recovery system. All 'non-hit'
      energy losses are in principle recovrable (ref: energy conservation
      laws). For every fusion 'hit' you get a 17MeV payout.

      Oh well, who is John Galt?
      
      [ FX: <shrug> ]
      
      
         / /\ \
      --*--<Tony>--*--

      Tony Hollick, LightSmith

http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/la-agora (LA-Agora Conference)
http://www.agora.demon.co.uk (Agora Home Page, Rainbow Bridge Foundation)
http://www.nwb.net/nwc (NorthWest Coalition Against Malicious Harrassment)

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<EOT>



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