Chilling Breakthrough: The Science Behind a Real-Life “Freeze Ray” Technology for the Air Force

Chilling Breakthrough: The Science Behind a Real-Life “Freeze Ray” Technology for the Air Force

This is a very interesting use for plasma. Didn't think that plasma cooling was a thing. But apparently it is. And they want to use it to chill electronics in aircraft. From the article they say that when plasma strikes a surface it can chill before heating. And now they are refining the process and experimenting to see if they can cool things even more. So yeah. Plasma cooling.

A University of Virginia professor believes he has discovered how to create a freeze-ray device, inspired by the Batman villain, Mr. Freeze. Rather than being a weapon, this device is intended to cool down electronics within spacecraft and high-altitude jets.

Do you know that freeze-ray gun that “Batman” villain Mr. Freeze uses to “ice” his enemies? A University of Virginia professor thinks he may have figured out how to make one in real life.

The Freeze-Ray Discovery
The discovery – surprisingly based on heat-generating plasma – is not meant for weaponry, however. Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Patrick Hopkins wants to create on-demand surface cooling for electronics inside spacecraft and high-altitude jets.

“That’s the primary problem right now,” Hopkins said. “A lot of electronics on board heat up, but they have no way to cool down.”

The U.S. Air Force likes the prospect of a freeze ray enough that it has granted the professor’s ExSiTE Lab (Experiments and Simulations in Thermal Engineering) $750,000 over three years to study how to maximize the technology.

a reply to: grey580

Excellent, good for Patrick Hopkins. That grant should be helpful for his research.

I find it funny how some outlets try to connect scientific development back to general public.