Carbon Dioxide Engine Could Bring Power to Mars

Mar-11-15 A prototype engine powered by carbon dioxide could offer a new power source for missions to Mars.

Created by teams from Northumbria and Edinburgh Universities, the engine works by taking advantage of the Leidenfrost effect—in which liquid brought in near contact with a very hot surface vaporizes a bit to create an insulating layer of steam that levitates the liquid on the vapor and protects it from the heat. This is most often seen when water droplets dance across the surface of a hot frying pan.

The prototype engine developed by the team features a circular block of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), that levitates above a hot surface etched in a circular, ridged pattern. The controlled surface causes the dry ice to move on the vapor in a circle, rather than skittering off the edge. The team then attached an array of copper coils and magnets to the block that created an alternating current as the block spun.

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[NORTHUMBRIA.AC.UK]

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