這種噴氣發(fā)動機不需要燃燒化石燃料

這種噴氣發(fā)動機不需要燃燒化石燃料

A prototype for a new jet engine promises to fly passengers halfway around the world — without burning fossil fuels.

一種新型噴氣發(fā)動機的原型機有望讓乘客飛越半個地球——而無需燃燒化石燃料。

The engine, developed at the Institute of Technological Sciences at Wuhan University, would allow passengers to fly carbon-neutral skies. Researchers say it needs only electricity and the air that swirls around it.

這臺由武漢大學科技學院研發(fā)的發(fā)動機，將使乘客可以在無碳天空中飛行。研究人員說，它只需要電力和環(huán)繞它的空氣。

Most jet engines, including the one pictured, burn fossil fuels. (Photo: Steve Mann/Shutterstock)

Of course, that air needs to undergo a complex process before it can actually fuel jet propulsion.

當然，空氣需要經(jīng)過一個復雜的過程才能為噴氣推進提供燃料。

As the engineers explain in a research paper published this week in the journal AIP Advances, the engine compresses air and ionizes it with microwaves. The resulting air plasma is what provides the engine's thrust.

正如工程師們在本周發(fā)表在《AIP進展》雜志上的一篇研究論文中所解釋的那樣，發(fā)動機壓縮空氣并利用微波電離空氣。產(chǎn)生的空氣等離子體提供了引擎的推力。

"Our results demonstrated that such a jet engine based on microwave air plasma can be a potentially viable alternative to the conventional fossil fuel jet engine," lead researcher and Wuhan University engineer Jau Tang explains in a press release.

“我們的研究結果表明，這種基于微波空氣等離子體的噴氣發(fā)動機有可能成為傳統(tǒng)化石燃料噴氣發(fā)動機的可行替代品，”首席研究員、武漢大學工程師Jau Tang在一份新聞稿中解釋道。

There's still a ways to go, however, before we fly carbon-neutral skies. Especially considering engineers only managed to launch a 2.2-pound ball about an inch into the air using the engine — although, they note, that's roughly the proportional equivalent of a normal jet engine.

然而，在我們實現(xiàn)碳中和之前，還有很長的路要走。特別是考慮到工程師們只能用引擎將一個2.2磅重的球發(fā)射到大約一英寸高的空中——盡管，他們注意到，這大致相當于一個普通的噴氣發(fā)動機的比例。

If the "air plasma" engine proves viable, it could revolutionize an industry badly in need of a technological overhaul. These days, airlines are reeling from a coronavirus pandemic that has grounded all but essential flights in much of the world. But the industry had been in a steady decline long before the outbreak.

如果“空氣等離子”發(fā)動機被證明是可行的，它將徹底改變一個急需技術革新的行業(yè)。這些天來，航空公司受到了冠狀病毒大流行的影響，在世界大部分地區(qū)，除了必要的航班外，所有航班都停飛了。但早在疫情爆發(fā)之前，該行業(yè)就一直在穩(wěn)步下滑。

The ever-increasing costs of fuel has pushed airlines to develop alternatives like biofuels, a renewable energy source produced from biomass. But an even bigger threat to airlines may be changing public opinion. With a world in climate crisis, air travel is increasingly seen as a carbon-spewing indulgence — so much so that Sweden even has a word for it. The term flygskam, literally translates to "flight shame," and it has become pervasive enough in Europe to have a real impact on the industry's bottom line.

不斷上漲的燃料成本促使航空公司開發(fā)生物燃料等替代能源，生物燃料是一種由生物質生產(chǎn)的可再生能源。但航空公司面臨的一個更大的威脅可能是改變公眾的看法。在全球氣候危機的背景下，航空旅行越來越被視為一種排放二氧化碳的放縱行為——以至于瑞典甚至用了一個詞來形容它。flygskam這個詞，字面意思是“逃離的恥辱”，它在歐洲已經(jīng)足夠普遍，對行業(yè)的底線產(chǎn)生了真正的影響。

An air plasma engine, on the other hand, could alleviate much of the environmental concern with its promise of a carbon-neutral ride.

另一方面，空氣等離子發(fā)動機可以減輕對環(huán)境的擔憂，因為它承諾實現(xiàn)碳中和。

"The motivation of our work is to help solve the global warming problems owing to humans' use of fossil fuel combustion engines to power machinery, such as cars and airplanes," Tang explains in the release. "There is no need for fossil fuel with our design, and therefore, there is no carbon emission to cause greenhouse effects and global warming."

“我們工作的動機是幫助解決全球變暖問題，因為人類使用化石燃料內燃機來驅動機器，比如汽車和飛機，”唐在新聞稿中解釋道。“我們的設計不需要化石燃料，因此不會產(chǎn)生導致溫室效應和全球變暖的碳排放。”