Quieter, smoother, more fuel efficient – it sounds like the CAFE Foundation’s goals for its Sky Taxis. ACHEON, a Euro-consortium of high-powered academic institutions, is working to bring together the Coanda effect with modern plasma technology to create a much-improved aerial travel experience. Having explored a few of the many aircraft that have attempted to use the Coanda effect, we now examine the work of the consortium of six organizations: four Universities, one Research and Tech Transfer Organization and one Research intensive SME (Small and Medium Enterprise – Nimbus S.r.l) from four European Countries (Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Belgium). The team, committed to exploring and demonstrating the benefits of ACHEON technology, is at work on possible applications for different craft. including: Traditional aerial vehicles architecture, which could include aircraft with wing-mounted engines. Innovative aerial vehicle designs with localized or distributed propulsion. Innovative aircraft optimized for thrust vectoring, even including airship configurations. One paper, “Investigating the Use of the Coanda …
Are Ultracapacitors Ready for Prime Time?
A January 3 article in Automotive Engineering International Online highlights the potential for ultracapacitors to take some of the battery market for vehicle power. The positive side of ultracapacitors would seem to demand their use over that of batteries. They can produce up to 10 times the power of batteries – important in acceleration. They handle temperatures down to -40°C (-40° F), something which drops battery power outputs to near uselessness in many cases. They last forever compared to batteries, can be charged in minutes as opposed to hours, and can even be recycled more fully than batteries – some of whose chemistries are toxic. Prices are dropping quickly. A 3,000-Farad ultracapacitor sold for $5,000 10 years ago. Today, it sells for $50. Battery prices have come down only 30 to 40 percent in the same time. Such a device can store 3,000 Amp-seconds of energy, meaning it could discharge 3,000 Amps at one Volt for one second. More logically, …