Vortex Lifter

The vortex lifter is a product of weeks of experimenting with ion vortices, Coanda effect, EHD, and the more recently, proving that the foil is sole producer of thrust. My idea of the ion vortex is inspired from the Charged Sheath Vortex Tornado by Peter Thomson. Visit his site at http://www.peter-thomson.co.uk/ has lots of information on the charged sheath vortex and vortex flying vehicles.

The vortex lifter evolved from a flat foil, covered with a thin dielectric with a pinhole in the center. The foil is positively charged and when you place a negatively-charged stranded wire near the foil, an ion vortex was produced from the hole. The direction of the rotation of the vortex is directly affected by the Earth's magnetic field. Since, Philippines is in northern Hemisphere, the vortex is counter-clockwise same the direction of northern hemisphere tornadoes. But the problem with the described setup is that the vortex plasma enlarged the hole until the vortex died out, 1 min. life span only. After several modifications to the vortex, mostly done to increase life span of vortex and to induce Coanda effect, the vortex lifter was conceived although the Coanda factor is eliminated due to difficulty of fabricating the al foil saucer with a torus in the center. The EHD Coanda saucer version of the vortex lifter may even be more efficient. It can generate a low-pressure zone in the top center of the saucer through the creation of a vortex, channel the air to the sides and follow the curves of the saucer and inducing the Coanda effect.

Referring to the picture above, the bright purple dots is the focal point of the vortex. The lifter is glowing too much due to the resonance frequency setup by the small air gaps between the lifter cells. I have remedied this by piercing and attaching a wire between adjacent cells. To date, this lifter is by far the most silent one I've made, inaudible beyond 1 feet away! It is surprising to see that this lifter produced more thrust than my lifter V2 and yet only as small as the lifter V1. It also strange to note that the wind coming from the lifter is strong almost like a jet and yet it is nearly neutral. I have tested its exhaust's electric charge by placing a metal dome 1 foot away from the lifter. The dome is placed near a wire connected to the ground. At a certain charge, a spark jumps from the dome to the wire. Compared to a lifter V1, the dome charged almost 10 times faster than with the vortex lifter exhaust, proving that the exhaust is 10 times more neutral than the lifter v1 and yet it is delivering up four times more thrust.

Somehow, I think this lifter is much more "greener" than other lifters by producing much less ozone that is considered a greenhouse gas when near the ground. But, I am unable to conduct tests on radiation emission, I have no equipment for this, so it would be really nice if someone will do the testing and share the results with us.

This lifter also reflects an improvement in design by being more compact than existing lifters. My estimate would be up to four times smaller than a lifter of same thrust and same weight. The vortex lifter is also designed considering mostly EHD in mind. Electro-hydrodynamic design! The diameter of the tube cell is dependent on the voltage. It is usually a little wider than the breakdown length in air. With my 40kv supply, the optimum inner diameter is 3cm. Perhaps the most notable improvement everyone will be joyful about is its burn-proof capability. I have timed it to survive a 5-second spark without damage! When a spark forms between the discharge point and foil, it never reaches the plastic straw, I don't know why, must be due to foil geometry.

Perhaps you're also curious how did the ion vortex formed. It just simply due to neutral air molecules rushing towards the sharp point of the discharge point. As they rush towards the center, they swirl, much like the vortex formed when flushing your bathtubs. Like in the bathtubs, the vortex swirl in counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in southern hemisphere.

To date, I've been really satisfied with the performance of this lifter. But still, I haven't measured yet its efficiency. I would be really grateful to anyone who can replicate the vortex lifter, test its efficiency and share the results with us.