Science and Invention, formerly Electrical Experimenter
An article about Plauson’s invention: a system that will deliver current that can be used for industrial purposes.
During the War there was developed in Germany a new art – or science — that bids fair to revolutionize our present means of obtaining power.
这件艺术与无线网络一样新的是二十五年前，将在未来二十年内达到比例，这可能会出现今天很棒。新科学的发明者，注释的工程师Herr Hermann Plauson已经向他的研究致力于他的研究，他现在实际上已经使用小型电厂，直接从空中，日夜直接发电，而不会中断一旦工厂建造，实际上没有成本。
我们在我们以前的问题之一，粗略地从有线调度来描述系统，但现在可以使用完整信息。在我们的氛围中所在的电力的数量是惊人的。Herr Plauson在他的实验中发现，一个气球送到300码的高度为300码的高度，在400伏特1.8安培的400伏特的恒定电流，或者在24小时内超过171/4kilowatts! By using two balloons in connection with a special condenser battery, the power obtained was 811/2kilowatts in 24 hours! The actual current delivered was 6.8 amperes at 500 volts.
最好的发明者是由所使用的气球thin aluminum leaf. No fabric is used. A simple internal system of ribs, stays and wires, give the balloon rigidity as well as a certain amount of elasticity. The balloon, when made airtight, is tilled with hydrogen or better, with helium. It will then stay aloft for weeks at a time. The outer surface is dotted with extremely sharp pins, made sharp electrolytically. Ordinary pins did not prove good current collectors, as they lacked extreme sharpness. The pins themselves were made from amalgamated zinc, containing a radium preparation, in order to ionize the air. It was also found that by dotting the outer surface of the balloon with zinc-amalgam more current could be collected. Even better results were obtained with polonium-amalgam. Plauson states that the function of these amalgams is purely photoelectric.
One hundred of such captive balloons, separated one hundred yards from each other, will give a steady yield of 200 horse power. This is the minimum, because in the winter this figure increase, r.p to 400 horse power, due to the higher electrification of the atmosphere.
我们不需要进入的技术生活卡伦牌t is finally made useable for industrial purposes, suffice it to say that the problem has been entirely solved by Herr Plauson. By using batteries of condensers, high tension transformers, etc., the current can be transformed to any form desired, such as for lighting lamps, running motors, charging storage batteries, etc. Plauson also invented a sort of electrostatic rotary transformer which gives alternating current without the use of condensers and transformers. Indeed, its output is very great, as it actually “sucks” the current down rapidly from the collector balloons. There is no doubt that this invention will soon come into universal use all over the world. We will see the land dotted with the captive balloons, particularly in the country and wherever water power does not abound. Indeed, the time is not distant when nearly all of our power will be derived from the atmosphere. So far it seems to be the cheapest form of power known, it being much cheaper than even water power—the cheapest form of power known to-day.
Not only that, but as the inventor points out, no devastating thunder storms occur near such aerial power plants, because the balloons act not only as lightning-arresters, but they quickly discharge the biggest thunder cloud, safely and noiselessly through their grounded spark gaps.
