Local engineer/inventor Sapoty Brook is boldly proposing to push the renewable-energy frontier, with a revolutionary new kind of aircraft he calls a Vaporjet.
On the basis of initial computer simulations, he claims his patented aircraft could hover, and take off and land vertically, and would not have the downward wind experienced under helicopters and quadcopters.
Brook says, ‘At first sight this appears to go against the laws of physics, but as explained in my video Solar Fuelled Freakin’ Vaporjets, air is drawn (accelerated) down above the craft and dispersed approximately horizontally off the craft’s upper surface. Thus Newton’ First Law is obeyed: momentum is conserved.’
He calls the process Vacupulsion, which is powered by fast jets of steam ejected over specially curved surfaces. The vaporjet craft may be able to land in urban areas with little disruption and noise, he says.
Sapoty Brook believes that a solar-fuel revolution is brewing.
‘This process involves using renewable electricity from solar and wind, to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a surprisingly efficient manner. Hydrogen can then potentially be stored in ammonia. Hydrogen provides lighter and less polluting energy storage than lithium.’
He explains that a recently discovered cheap catalyst is available to split the hydrogen out of ammonia, on demand.
‘The hydrogen can then be burnt eg inside a “vaporjet” to instantly generate steam.’
Steam jets
Brook also says that vacupulsion can be used to propel a vaporjet forward, and simultaneously reduce drag, using steam jets at the front of the vaporjet blasting the air, left and right, out of its way over suitably curved surfaces. ‘This way, drag is reduced and the craft is “drawn” forward into a frontal low-pressure zone.’
He says, ‘I think it is premature to take this technology into the arena of venture capital. I want to spend 18 months on computer simulation to refine the design and the underlying theoretical data, without commercial demands. That is my main aim in securing crowdfunding at this point in time. Prototyping should be withheld until the energy efficiency is refined by further simulations.’
Sapoty Brook is launching Vacupulsion Pty Ltd and a global crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday September 27 at the Heart Space, Santos, Mullumbimby from 6pm. All welcome.
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