Plasma Device Could Revolutionize Energy Generation and Storage

It appears that we're on the threshold of utilising a new energy source.

University of Missouri engineer Randy Curry and his team have developed a method of creating and controlling plasma that could revolutionize American energy generation and storage. Besides liquid, gas and solid, matter has a fourth state, known as plasma. Fire and lightning are familiar forms of plasma. Life on Earth depends on the energy emitted by plasma produced during fusion reactions within the sun.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com...

Launching plasma in open air is the 'Holy Grail' in the field of physics," said Curry, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the University of Missouri's College of Engineering. "Creating plasma in a vacuum tube surrounded by powerful electromagnets is no big deal; dozens of labs can do that. Our innovation allows the plasma to hold itself together while it travels through regular air without any need for containment.

So if the plasma can be controlled in containers...How come we don't have plasma coils running something like the Enterprise yet ???

reply to post by phalanx001


Meh. Why don't they tell us what they're doing to achieve this?...

If I had to guess, I would say that they're flash super-heating magnetized metals. Further, what they have achieved will probably be right at the threshold of what is possible, unless they can find a way to keep the magnetized molecules from being pushed away from the immense heat of the plasma ring....I guess they are really just asking for moneys - I dunno.

Anyways, here is a source with video: Plasma Device Developed at MU Could Revolutionize Energy Generation and Storage

...And hopefully that thing never becomes fully developed, 'cause bad people would try to weaponized it - just saying.

A bread Box.... kind of has me skeptical.
And I'm thinking this will be bought out and buried.

The plasma device at MU could be enlarged to handle much larger amounts of energy, according to Curry. With sufficient funding, they could develop a system within three to five years that would also be considerably smaller. He noted that they used old technologies to build the current prototype of the plasma-generating machine. Using newer, miniaturized parts, he suggests they could shrink the device to the size of a bread box.

reply to post by Nuke2013

Because we'd need Geordi La Forge to look after them?

I seriously do not get what this plasma thing is. I'm not a physicist.

But I am adamantly grateful that the Star Trek geeks made up all this tech lingo. Why? Because it's cool. It's a waste of time, but it's fun to see how they imagine all of it working. And it's nice to know that the whole lore in Star Trek has some thought put into it. Even many of the original Star Trek props were professionally made. Somehow, extreme geeks just made it all better.

So someone copied the way the guy from Canada made his plasma generator? It appears to be similar. I read that Canada wouldn't allow him to sell it because it would hurt their economy. This would devastate the Economies of the world, no need for oils and gasses. No need for solar panels. A couple of repair men to fix them and keep them running right.

Lacking an advanced degree in Plasma Engineering/Physics (or general knowledge about it) could someone tell me in what applications or fields of engineering this breakthrough would be helpful (energy, propulsion, etc...)? I get why its a breakthrough, but not why it would be practical (not that it isn't practical, of course, I just don't know why).

Thanks

Er.. Plasma that travels through the air without need for containment -

sounds like a weapon to me.