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A technical paper presentation On

Space Electricity
An Innovation in Electric Power Generation

Presented by:
M.NARENDRA KUMAR N.SREENU, Department of EEE Department of EEE EMAIL ID: narendra.nk37@gmail.com Id:- mnk459@gamil.com Mobile.NO:-9160754569 Mobile.No:-9640850009 Email

Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

CHEBROLU ENGINEERING COLLEGE Chebrolu, Guntur(Dt).

Abstract Owing to the somewhat explosive development of the science of space electricity during the past decade this article covers a broad field of activity. The article begins with a description and discussion of the work that has been performed to understand the electrical properties of the basic materials involved in generating processes in the atmosphere. The aspects covered in this paper are the fair-weather conditions, cluster ions concept, spherical capacitor theory, and the major applications of space electricity. Even the Fundamental problem of space electricity and its solution have been dealt with. The sections covered also include the electrification of the upper atmosphere and space, and a consideration of the global electrical circuit and its related electrical `balance sheet'. IndexTerms Air Ion ,photoionization ,Thermodynamic.

What

is

Space

Electricity?

Space

electricity

abounds

in

the

environment; some traces of it are found less than four feet from the surface of the earth, but on attaining greater height it becomes more apparent. It was only after the discovery of the electricity in the early 1700s that the electrical nature of the earths atmosphere begun to be revealed. In 1708, William Wall, watching the spark of a discharge from a charged piece of amber, observed that it similar to lightning. Around the middle of the century, after the discovery of the first electrical properties of matter, it

became evident that lightning should be a form of electricity associated in some way with thunderstorms. Space electricity is the regular diurnal(daily) variations of the Earth's space electromagnetic network. Its the study of electric charges and currents in the atmosphere. Fossils suggest that the terrestrial atmosphere has had lighting in it for at least 250 million years. Intro: Benjamin Franklin was the first to design an experiment to prove the electrical nature of lightning. In July 1750, Franklin proposed that electricity could be drawn from a cloud by a tall metal pole. If the pole was insulated from ground, and an observer brought a grounded wire held by an insulating wax handle near the pole, then a spark would jump from the pole to the wire when an electrified cloud was nearby. If this was the case, it would be proved that the clouds were electrically charged and, consequently, that lightning was In also an electrical Franklin phenomenon. June 1752,

hands. This proved that lightning was also an electrical phenomenon. Fair Weather Condition: negative when thunderstorms were nearby.

L. G. Lemonnier discovered that even when there are no clouds, the so-called fair weather condition, a weak electrification exists in the atmosphere. He also found some evidence that the electrification varied from night to day. In 1775, G. Beccaria confirmed the existence of a diurnal variation in the fair weather electrification and determined that the polarity of the charge in the atmosphere in fair weather condition was positive and that it reversed to Space layers: Relationship ionosphere of The the atmosphere of and the conductivity

conducted another experiment with the same proposal, his famous experiment using a kite. Instead of use a metal pole he used a kite, since it could reach a greater elevation than the pole and could be flown anywhere. One more time sparks jumped from a key tied to the bottom of the kite string to his

atmosphere increases exponentially with

altitude. The amplitudes of the electric and magnetic components depend on season, latitude, and height above the sea level. The greater the altitude the more space electricity abounds. The exosphere is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere and is estimated to be 500 km to 1000 km above the Earth's surface, and its upper boundary at about 10,000 km. The thermosphere (upper atmosphere) is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere and directly below the exosphere. Within this layer, ultraviolet The radiation causes (middle ionization. mesosphere

aerosols and radioactive particles, through its control over the wind, temperature and water vapor distributions. Such influence is dominated by the effects of turbulence. The layer in which this influence is felt is called the planetary boundary layer or exchange layer. The depth of this layer is highly variable, ranging from tens of meters to 3km above the ground. AIR-ION CONCEPT A ion counter working on the principle on Gerdiens condenser and plate antenna (as shown in the figure) were used for ion measurements ans air earth current density respectively. Variations in small and large positive ion concentrations are almost similar to each other. On the other hand, variations in intermediate positive ion concentrations are independent of variations in the small/large positive ions and exhibit a diurnal variation which is similar to that in space temperature on fair weather days with a maximum during the day and minimum during the night hours. No such diurnal variation in intermediate positive ion concentration is observed on cloudy days when variations in them are also similar to those in small/large positive ion concentrations. Scavenging of ions by snowfall and trapping of rays from the

atmosphere) is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere that is directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. The mesosphere is located about 50-80/85km above Earth's surface. The stratosphere (middle atmosphere) is a layer of Earth's atmosphere that is stratified in temperature and is situated between about 10 km and 50 km altitude above the surface at moderate latitudes, while at the poles it starts at about sits and The 8 km directly directly altitude. above below The the the stratosphere troposphere mesosphere.

troposphere

(lower

atmosphere) is the densest layer of the atmosphere. The presence of the earths surface influences the concentration of ions,

ground radioactivity by a thin layer of snow on ground, is demonstrated from observations.

rate of decrease is the highest for large ions, lowest for small ions and in between the two for intermediate ions.

Total

aerosol

number

concentration

decreases in the 4.4 163 nm sizerange but increases in 0.5 20 m size range with wind Variations in intermediatepositive ion concentration are explained on the basis of the formation of new particles by the photolytic nucleation process. The number concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the size ranges 4.4 163nm and 0.5 20 m diameters were also measured simultaneously along with the measurements of ion concentrations and the air earth current density during blizard. Ion concentrations of all categories and the air earth current simultaneously decrease by approximately an order of magnitude as the wind speed increases from 5 to 10 ms1. The speed. Size distribution show a of the nanometer particles dominant

maximum at ~ 30 nm diameter throughout the period of observations and the height of the maximum decreases with wind speed. However, larger particles show a maximum at ~ 0.7 mTI VIT Cluster ions Concept: The lower and middle atmosphere is weak conductors due to the presence of trace concentrations of ions. Ions are created by ionization of the neutral molecules of air, generally nitrogen and oxygen, by primary and secondary cosmic rays, and by particles and radiation produced by decay of radioactive substances in the soil, like

uranium and thorium, and in the air, like the gas radon. As a result of the ionization of the molecules, free electrons and positive ions, in general singly charged, are created. The electrons are, then, quickly attached to other neutral molecules to produce negative ions. The production of ions by cosmic rays varies with altitude and latitude. The production of ions due to the decay of radioactive substances depends on the soil characteristics. In particular, in the oceans it is several orders of magnitude smaller than in the continents. In general, the average ionization (ion-pair production) rate over the continent due to radioactive substances is predominant on that due to cosmic rays below 1 km. Above 1 km, the ionization rate is dominated by the cosmic ray source. The ionization and solar rate is also sensitive to the meteorological conditions, and geomagnetic activity. Occasionally, ionization created by energetic particles during times of high geomagnetic and solar activity can dominate that produced by cosmic rays above 20 km. Also, the 11-year solar sunspot cycle produces a variation in the ionization rate in the atmosphere. The variation becomes more pronounced with increasing height or geomagnetic latitude. After the ions are formed, they react with neutral molecules and attach to water

molecules from the water vapor always present in the atmosphere, forming cluster ions. These cluster ions are relatively stable, and constitute most of the ions of molecular size, also called small ions. Examples of such ions are H3O+ (H2O) and O2-(H2O)n. When small ions attach to aerosol particles, they form large ions. During steady state conditions, the concentration of small ions in a given time and place is a radiation ionization Cosmic and radioactive radiation ionize air, and equal numbers of molecular-size positive and negative small ions are formed; air becomes (weakly) electrically conductive. Small ions are also attached to airborne dust (aerosol), which thus regularizes the number of small ions. By collision ionization Lightning and other result of the balance between the production (ionization rate) and destruction of ions. Small ions are destroyed by recombination between them and by attachment to large ions and aerosol particles. The total average concentration of small ions over the continents as over the oceans is roughly the same and of the order of 1000 cm-3, even though the ionization rate is smaller over the oceans due to the

absence of radioactive elements. This fact, however, is compensated by the smaller loss rate due to the lower aerosol concentration. There are more positive small ions than negative ones, and the difference produces a net positive charge in the atmosphere. The existence of a net positive charge near the earths surface implies that additional processes of ion production should exist, since the ionization process produces equal concentrations of negative and positive ions. Charge Separation: Space electricity involves phenomena which are connected with the separation of electric charges in the sub-ionospheric atmosphere (below about 100 km height). In the ionosphere and magnetosphere there occur strong electric currents originating directly from the solar-terrestrial interaction; in the lower atmosphere, there flows a much weaker electric current in the so-called global circuit, which is maintained by the thunderstorm activity. Charge separation takes place in In a three ways: Thermodynamically thundercloud,

graupels staying in the mid-cloud: a macroscopic dipole structure forms. By discharges in the thundercloud ionize air temporarily into electrically conducting channels. Outer space and near space:

Electric

currents

created

in

sunward

ionosphere.In outer space, the magnetopause flows along the boundary between the region around an astronomical object (called the "magnetosphere") and surrounding plasma, in which electric phenomena are dominated or organized by this magnetic field. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the magnetized planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Mercury is magnetized, but too weakly to trap plasma. Mars has patchy surface magnetization. The magnetosphere is the location where the outward magnetic pressure of the Earth's magnetic field is

small ice crystals collide with rime-growing graupels; the crystals gain positive charge, the graupels negative (the microscopic mechanism is not yet well known). Convection in the thundercloud carries the ice crystals to the cloud top, the heavier

counterbalanced by the solar wind, a plasma.

Fair weather electricity deals with the electric field and the electrical current in the atmosphere, and the conductivity of the air. The discovery of the fair weather circuit followed Ben Franklin's demonstration that lightning is caused by electricity. Later experimenters showed that clear, calm air carries an electrical current which, it turns out is the return path for the electrical display we know as lightning. Space

Most of solar particles are deflected to either side of the magnetopause, much like water is deflected before the bow of a ship. However, some particles become trapped within the Earth's magnetic field and form radiation belts. Photoionization: Photo ionization is the physical process in which an incident photon ejects one or more electrons from an atom, ion or molecule. The ejected electrons, known as photoelectrons, carry information about their pre-ionized states. For example, a single electron can have a kinetic energy equal to the energy of the incident photon minus the electron binding energy of the state it left. Photons with energies less than the electron binding energy may be absorbed or scattered but will not photoionise the atom or ion. Fair-weather space electricity:

electricity is like a massive photographic flash. An electrical charge is built up, a switch is closed, and electrons barge across a gas, ionizing it and producing light. But a flash is a complete circuit. In the case of the Earth, the atmosphere completes the circuit The thundercloud tens are charge of centres, of by mainly

accumulating electricity, lightning:

coulombs

discharged

cloud flashes (most abundant) cause mutual neutralization of the centers; the lower centre is also discharged to the ground by negative ground flashes - and charges up the earth(the

Why does not the (fair-weather) space electric field cause a shock of 200 V to a standing human? Because the human is grounded in practice; the poorly conducting air cannot charge up a grounded object. Below a thundercloud, where the groundlevel electric field may be tens of positive centre is discharged similarly, but by a smaller amount). An excess charge will be left in the upper positive centre, and it leaks by conduction to the surrounding air, about one ampere per thunderstorm cell. Because of the exponentially increasing conductivity, most of this leak current is guided to the ionosphere, where it is distributed over the globe and charges the upper atmosphere to a potential of about 300 kV with respect to the ground. This "ionospheric potential" maintains the socalled fair-weather current, whose density is about 2 pA/m2 (Pico amperes per square meter). According to Ohm's law, the fairweather current density and the electric conductivity are associated with a downward electric field, about 100 V/m near the ground. The number of simultaneously active thunder cells ("thunderstorms") over the globe is about 1000-2000, so the whole circuit carries a current of about 1000 amperes. Carnegie Curve: The fair weather electric field presents diurnal and seasonal variations. The typical diurnal variation of the fair weather electric field as a function of universal time was first clearly identified by the measurements on the research vessel Carnegie in the 1920s. The so-called Carnegie curve is a result of hourly values of the electric field averaged over many days. The Carnegie curve is very difficult to reproduce at land stations due to local processes such as convection currents and aerosol variations. In general, kV/m, the situation is different - but then the threat comes from a lightning strike.

fluctuations

in

space

charge

density

the argument that positive charges must exist in the atmosphere to explain the electrification in fair weather. In 1785, C. A. Coulomb discovered that the air is conductive, observing that a well insulated conductor exposed to air gradually loses its charge. It was then estimated that the earth would lose almost all of its charge to the conductive atmosphere in less than an hour unless the supply were replenished. This raised what has become known as the fundamental problem of space electricity, that is, how the earths negative charge is maintained. Solution: The first attempt to solve this problem was suggested by C. T. R. Wilson in 1920. Wilson developed the hypothesis, known as the spherical capacitor theory that the earths surface and an equipotential layer at some height must behave like plates of a spherical capacitor. The equipotential layer was firstly termed electrosphere and was supposed to be somewhere between 40 and 60 km. Later, it was considered to be located coincident with the ionosphere. Applications: A Lighting Harnessing Power Plant This concept is perhaps not as impractical as it once was. The main limiting factor of implementing a lightning capturing scheme

associated with these processes within the planetary boundary layer have an effect on electric field roughly comparable in magnitude to that of the Carnegie curve. If local variations at land stations are removed by averaging processes, the electric field on the ground indeed shows a universal time dependence similar to that of the Carnegie curve. The fair weather electric field also shows a seasonal variation. Even though the overall pattern appears much the same of the universal time variation, there are small seasonal differences in the hour of maximum field intensity, indicating changes in the longitude of maximum thunderstorm activity. Also, the average field shows seasonal variations with maximum values in the spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere, reflecting the fact that there is more thunderstorms in these seasons in the Northern Hemisphere than in the same seasons in the Southern Hemisphere. This, in turn, is a result of the fact that there is more land in the Northern Hemisphere. Fundamental electricity: In 1804, P. Erman, suggested for the first time that the earth should be negatively charged. In 1860, Lord Kelvin put forward problem of space

such as this was the inability to be

Conclusion: How hard would it be to build an array of lighting rods to capture periodic thunderstorm electricity? The biggest hurdle would really be creating power plant infrastructure that could survive the harsh surges created by lightning strikes, but even that seems possible with current technology and materials. Electrical and building design engineers could come up with an innovative way to make it work. Specially designed buffer/insulation and transformer materials could be used to safely capture and harness the massive amounts of electricity generated during a lighting strike, and transfer it to large storage device for later use. References: 1.The Space Electricity Journal by Basil Ferdinand 2.www.en.wikipedia.org 3.www.SpaceElectricity.org 4.NewsLetter on Space Electricity

able to store large amounts of electricity for later use. However, new Utility Scale Battery technology or other energy storage technologies electricity such captured as from Flywheels lightning or in Capacitors could be used to store the massive quantities, for later grid use. Obviously, a lightning capturing power plant would only be practical in regions with frequent thunderstorms, such as Florida.

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