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The Biefeld–Brown effect is an effect that was discovered by Thomas Townsend Brown (USA) and Dr. Paul Alfred Biefeld (CH). The effect is more widely referred to as electrohydrodynamics (EHD) or sometimes electro-fluid-dynamics, a counterpart to the well-known magneto-hydrodynamics. Small models lifted by this effect are sometimes called 'lifters'.

Effect analysis

The effect relies on corona discharge, which allows air molecules to become ionized near sharp points and edges. Usually, two electrodes are used with a high voltage between them, about 20 kV and up to megavolt levels, where one electrode is small or sharp, and the other larger and smoother. The most effective distance between electrodes occurs at an electric field gradient of about 10 kV/cm, which is just below the nominal breakdown voltage of air between two sharp points. This creates a high field gradient around the smaller, positively charged electrode. Around this electrode, electrons are stripped off the atoms in the surrounding medium, they are literally pulled right off by the electrode's charge.

This leaves a cloud of positively charged ions in the medium, which are attracted to the negative smooth electrode, where they are neutralized again. In the process, thousands of impacts occur between these charged ions and the neutral air molecules in the air gap, causing a transfer in momentum between the two, which creates a net directional force on the electrode setup. This effect can be used for propulsion (see EHD thruster) and fluid pumps.

Interpretations

The effect has become something of a cause célèbre in the UFO world, where it is seen as an example of something much more exotic than electrokinetics. Charles Berlitz devoted an entire chapter of his book The Philadelphia Experiment to a retelling of Brown's early work with the effect, implying he had discovered some new electrogravity effect being used by UFOs. In fact Brown was fully aware of how the device worked, but that makes for a less interesting story. Today the Internet is filled with sites devoted to this interpretation of the effect (see below for some of the more profound sites).

An article by M. Tajmar (see below, or a summary) describes an experiment designed to test the possibility that this effect may need some other effect than ion winds for its explanation. No such effect was found, to the limit of experimental accuracy. In particular, no thrust could be observed in a vacuum. A naval research lab, however, concluded in several repeated experiments a net thrust was apparent in vacuum. Neither of these tests were peer-reviewed, and therefore credibility can be given to neither.

Some people think that the Tesla coil might be related to this effect. In fact, when Tesla came to the USA he was supposedly carrying plans for a "flying machine". The only common factor between a Tesla coil and the Biefeld–Brown effect is that, in both of them, high voltage plays a vital role. The Tesla effect, or high field gradients between electrode plates, can be produced by an AC circuit powered by Tesla coils.

Patents

T. T. Brown issued a number of patents on his discovery:

• GB300311 — A method of and an apparatus or machine for producing force or motion (accepted 1928-11-15)
• U.S. patent 1,974,483 — Electrostatic motor (1934-09-25)
• U.S. patent 2,949,550 — Electrokinetic apparatus (1960-08-16)
• U.S. patent 3,018,394 — Electrokinetic transducer (1962-01-23)
• U.S. patent 3,022,430 — Electrokinetic generator (1962-02-20)
• U.S. patent 3,187,206 — Electrokinetic apparatus (1965-06-01)
• U.S. patent 3,196,296 — Electric generator (1965-07-20)

Historically numerous patents have been granted for various applications of the effect, from electrostatic dust precipitation, to air ionizers, and also for flight. A particularly notable patent — U.S. patent 3,120,363 — was granted to G.E. Hagen in 1964, for apparatus more or less identical to the later so called 'lifter' devices. Other ionic US patents of interest: 2022465, 2182751, 2282401, 2295152, 2460175, 2636664, 2765975, 3071705, 3177654, 3223038, 3120363, 3130945

External links

• BiefeldBrown.com — A Website & Forum that are completely dedicated to the Biefeld–Brown effect
• Thomas Townsend Brown — About the American physicist
• French — La révolution de la propulsion électrocinétique Vulgarisation article

Misinterpreted EHD only

• Electrostatic Antigravity on NASA's "Common Errors" page
• NASA: Asymmetrical Capacitors for Propulsion (PDF)
• Electrified-Fluid-Mechanics — Plasma propulsion information

Anomalous effects

• Explanation of the Biefeld–Brown Effect as a gravitoelectric effect by Takaaki Musha (PDF)
• Electrogravitics Systems — An examination of electrostatic motion, dynamic counterbary and barycentric control (Gravity research group, Aviation Studies International Ltd.)
• Townsend Brown and His Anti-Gravity Discs by Gaston Burridge
• Blaze Labs Research: Analysing the real Biefeld–Brown effect — Claims that Biefeld–Brown effect generates a thrust due to a spacetime warp
  • Blaze Labs Research: What is an EHD thruster? — Introduction on EHD thrusters & lifters, vacuum experiment (including an explanation of why the effect does not occur in a vacuum)

References

• Tajmar M. Biefeld–Brown Effect: Misinterpretation of Corona Wind Phenomena, AIAA Journal, 1 February 2004, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 315-318(4),
• Buehler D.R. Exploratory Research on the Phenomenon of the Movement of High Voltage Capacitors, Journal of Space Mixing, April 2004, vol. 2, pp. 1-22,

• Propulsion