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- WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF POWER
- Resonating Planet Earth
-
- by
-
- Toby Grotz
-
- Theoretical Electromagnetic Studies and Learning Association, Inc.
- 522 West Third Street
- Leadville, CO 80461
- (719) 486-0133
-
- Abstract
-
- Many researchers have speculated on the meaning of the phrase "non
- Hertzian waves" as used by Dr. Nikola Tesla. Dr. Tesla first began to
- use this term in the mid 1890's in order to explain his proposed system
- for the wireless transmission of electrical power. In fact, it was not
- until the distinction between the method that Heinrich Hertz was using
-
- and the system Dr. Tesla had designed, that Dr. Tesla was able to
- receive the endorsement of the renowned physicist, Lord Kelvin.1
- To this day, however, there exists a confusion amongs researchers,
- experimentalists, popular authors and laymen as to the meaning of non
- Hertzian waves and the method Dr. Tesla was promoting for the wireless
- transmission of power. In this paper, the terms pertinent to wireless
- transmission of power will be explained and the methods being used by
- present researchers in a recreation of the Tesla's 1899 Colorado
- Springs experiments will be defined.
-
- Early Theories of Electromagnetic Propagation
-
- In pre-World War I physics, scientists postulated a number of
- theories to explain the propagation of electromagnetic energy through
- the ether. There were three popular theories present in the literature
- of the late 1800's and early 1900's. They were: 1. Transmission
- through or along the Earth, 2. Propagation as a result of terrestrial
- resonances, 3. Coupling to the ionosphere using propagation through
- electrified gases.
- We shall concern our examination at this time to the latter two
- theories as they were both used by Dr. Tesla at various times to
- explain his system of wireless transmission of power. It should be
- noted, however, that the first theory was supported by Fritz
- Lowenstein, the first vice-president of the Institute of Radio
- Engineers, a man who had the enviable experience of assisting Dr. Tesla
- during the Colorado Springs experiments of 1899. Lowenstein presented
- what came to be known as the "gliding wave" theory of electromagnetic
- radiation and propagation during a lecture before the IRE in 1915.
- (Fig. 1)
- Dr. Tesla delivered lectures to the Franklin Institute at
- Philadelphia, in February, 1983, and to the National Electric Light
- Association in St. Louis, in March, 1983, concerning electromagnetic
- wave propagation. The theory presented in those lectures proposed that
- the Earth could be considered as a conducting sphere and that it could
- support a large electrical charge. Dr. Tesla proposed to disturb the
- charge distribution on the surface of the Earth and record the period
- of the resulting oscillations as the charge returned to its state of
- equilibrium. The problem of a single charged sphere had been analyzed
- at that time by J.J. Thompson and A.G. Webster in a treatise entitled
- "The Spherical Oscillator." This was the beginning of an examination
- of what we may call the science of terrestrial resonances, culminating
- in the 1950's and 60's with the engineering of VLF radio systems and
- the research and discoveries of W.O. Schumann and J.R. Waite.
- The second method of energy propagation proposed by Dr. Tesla was
- that of the propagation of electrical energy through electrified gases.
- Dr. Tesla experimented with the use of high frequency RF currents to
- examine the properties of gases over a wide range of pressures. It was
- determined by Dr. Tesla that air under a partial vacuum could conduct
- high frequency electrical currents as well or better than copper wires.
- If a transmitter could be elevated to a level where the air pressure
- was on the order of 75 to 130 millimeters in pressure and an excitation
- of megavolts was applied, it was theorized that;
- "...the air will serve as a conductor for the current produced, and
- the latter will be transmitted through the air with, it may be, even
- less resistance than through an ordinary copper wire".2 (Fig. 2)
- Resonating Planet Earth
- Dr. James T. Corum and Kenneth L. Corum, in chapter two of their soon
- to be published book, A Tesla Primer, point out a number of statements
- made by Dr. Tesla which indicate that he was using resonator fields and
- transmission line modes.
- 1. When he speaks of tuning his apparatus until Hertzian radiations
- have been eliminated, he is referring to using ELF vibrations: "...the
- Hertzian effect has gradually been reduced through the lowering of
- frequency."3
- 2. "...the energy received does not diminish with the square of the
- distance, as it should, since the Hertzian radiation propagates in a
- hemisphere."3
- 3. He apparently detected resonator or standing wave modes: "...my
- discovery of the wonderful law governing the movement of electricity
- through the globe...the projection of the wavelengths (measured along
- the surface) on the earth's diameter or axis of symmetry...are all
- equal."3
- 4. "We are living on a conducting globe surrounded by a thin layer of
- insulating air, above which is a rarefied and conducting
- atmosphere...The Hertz waves represent energy which is radiated and
- unrecoverable. The current energy, on the other hand, is preserved and
- can be recovered, theoretically at least, in its entirety."4
- As Dr. Corum points out, "The last sentence seems to indicate that
- Tesla's Colorado Springs experiments could be properly interpreted as
- characteristic of a wave-guide probe in a cavity resonator."5 This was
- in fact what led Dr. Tesla to report a measurement which to this day is
- not understood and has led many to erroneously assume that he was
- dealing with faster than light velocities.
-
- The Controversial Measurement;
-
- It does not indicate faster than light velocity
- The mathematical models and experimental data used by Schumann and
- Waite to describe ELF transmission and propagation are complex and
- beyond the scope of this paper. Dr. James F. Corum, Kenneth L. Corum
- and Dr. A-Hamid Aidinejad have, however, in a series of papers
- presented at the 1984 Tesla Centennial Symposium and the 1986
- International Tesla Symposium, applied the experimental values obtained
- by Dr. Tesla during his Colorado Springs experiments to the models and
- equations used by Schumann and Waite. The results of this exercise
- have proved that the Earth and the surrounding atmosphere can be used
- as a cavity resonator for the wireless transmission of electrical
- power. (Fig. 3)
- Dr. Tesla reported that .08484 seconds was the time that a pulse
- emitted from his laboratory took to propagate to the opposite side of
- the planet and to return. From this statement many have assumed that
- his transmissions exceeded the speed of light and many esoteric and
- fallacious theories and publications have been generated. As Corum and
- Aidinejad point out, in their 1986 paper, "The Transient Propagation of
- ELF Pulses in the Earth Ionosphere Cavity", this measurement represents
- the coherence time of the Earth cavity resonator system. This is also
- known to students of radar systems as a determination of the range
- dependent parameter. The accompanying diagrams from Corum's and
- Aidinejad's paper graphically illustrate the point. (Fig. 3 & Fig. 4)
- We now turn to a description of the methods to be used to build, as
- Dr. Tesla did in 1899, a cavity resonator for the wireless transmission
- of electrical power.
-
- PROJECT TESLA:
-
- The Wireless Transmission of Electrical Energy Using Schumann Resonance
- It has been proven that electrical energy can be propagated around
- the world between the surface of the Earth and the ionosphere at
- extreme low frequencies in what is known as the Schumann Cavity. The
- Schumann cavity surrounds the Earth between ground level and extends
- upward to a maximum 80 kilometers. Experiments to date have shown that
- electromagnetic waves of extreme low frequencies in the range of 8 Hz,
- the fundamental Schumann Resonance frequency, propagate with little
- attenuation around the planet within the Schumann Cavity.
- Knowing that a resonant cavity can be excited and that power can be
- delivered to that cavity similar to the methods used in microwave ovens
- for home use, it should be possible to resonate and deliver power via
- the Schumann Cavity to any point on Earth. This will result in
- practical wireless transmission of electrical power.
-
- Background
-
- Although it was not until 1954-1959 when experimental measurements
- were made of the frequency that is propagated in the resonant cavity
- surrounding the Earth, recent analysis shows that it was Nikola Tesla
- who, in 1899, first noticed the existence of stationary waves in the
- Schumann cavity. Tesla's experimental measurements of the wave length
- and frequency involved closely match Schumann's theoretical
- calculations. Some of these observations were made in 1899 while Tesla
- was monitoring the electromagnetic radiations due to lightning
- discharges in a thunderstorm which passed over his Colorado Springs
- laboratory and then moved more than 200 miles eastward across the
- plains. In his Colorado Springs Notes, Tesla noted that these
- stationary waves "... can be produced with an oscillator," and added in
- parenthesis, "This is of immense importance."6 The importance of his
- observations is due to the support they lend to the prime objective of
- the Colorado Springs laboratory. The intent of the experiments and the
- laboratory Tesla had constructed was to prove that wireless
- transmission of electrical power was possible.
- Schumann Resonance is analogous to pushing a pendulum. The intent of
- Project Tesla is to create pulses or electrical disturbances that would
- travel in all directions around the Earth in the thin membrane of non
- conductive air between the ground and the ionosphere. The pulses or
- waves would follow the surface of the Earth in all directions expanding
- outward to the maximum circumference of the Earth and contracting
- inward until meeting at a point opposite to that of the transmitter.
- This point is called the anti-pode. The traveling waves would be
- reflected back from the anti-pode to the transmitter to be reinforced
- and sent out again. At the time of his measurements Tesla was
- experimenting with and
- researching methods for "...power transmission and transmission of
- intelligible messages to any point on the globe." Although Tesla was
- not able to commercially market a system to transmit power around the
- globe, modern scientific theory and mathematical calculations support
- his contention that the wireless propagation of electrical power is
- possible and a feasible alternative to the extensive and costly grid of
- electrical transmission lines used today for electrical power
- distribution.
-
- The Need for a Wireless System of Energy Transmission
-
- A great concern has been voiced in recent years over the extensive
- use of energy, the limited supply of resources, and the pollution of
- the environment from the use of present energy conversion systems.
- Electrical power accounts for much of the energy consumed. Much of this
- power is wasted during transmission from power plant generators to the
- consumer. The resistance of the wire used in the electrical grid
- distribution system causes a loss of 26-30% of the energy generated.
- This loss implies that our present system of electrical distribution is
- only 70-74% efficient.
- A system of power distribution with little or no loss would conserve
- energy. It would reduce pollution and expenses resulting from the need
- to generate power to overcome and compensate for losses in the present
- grid system.
- The proposed project would demonstrate a method of energy
- distribution calculated to be 90-94% efficient. An electrical
- distribution system, based on this method would eliminate the need for
- an inefficient, costly, and capital intensive grid of cables, towers,
- and substations. The system would reduce the cost of electrical energy
- used by the consumer and rid the landscape of wires, cables, and
- transmission towers.
- There are areas of the world where the need for electrical power
- exists, yet there is no method for delivering power. Africa is in need
- of power to run pumps to tap into the vast resources of water under the
- Sahara Desert. Rural areas, such as those in China, require the
- electrical power necessary to bring them into the 20th century and to
- equal standing with western nations.
- As first proposed by Buckminster Fuller, wireless transmission of
- power would enable world wide distribution of off peak demand capacity.
- This concept is based on the fact that some nations, especially the
- United States, have the capacity to generate much more power than is
- needed. This situation is accentuated at night. The greatest amount
- of power used, the peak demand, is during the day. The extra power
- available during the night could be sold to the side of the planet
- where it is day time. Considering the huge capacity of power plants in
- the United States, this system would provide a saleable product which
- could do much to aid our balance of payments.
-
- MARKET ANALYSIS
-
- Of the 56 billion dollars spent for research by the the U.S
- government in 1987, 64% was for military purposes, only 8% was spent on
- energy related research. More efficient energy distribution systems
- and sources are needed by both developed and under developed nations.
- In regards to Project Tesla, the market for wireless power transmission
- systems is enormous. It has the potential to become a multi-billion
- dollar per year market.
-
- Market Size
-
- The increasing demand for electrical energy in industrial nations is
- well documented. If we include the demand of third world nations,
- pushed by their increasing rate of growth, we could expect an even
- faster rise in the demand for electrical power in the near future.
- In 1971, nine industrialized nations, (with 25 percent of the world's
- population), used 690 million kilowatts, 76 percent of all power
- generated. The rest of the world used only 218 million kilowatts. By
- comparison, China generated only 17 million kilowatts and India
- generated only 15 million kilowatts (less than two percent each).7 If
- a conservative assumption was made that the three-quarters of the world
- which is only using one-quarter of the current power production were to
- eventually consume as much as the first quarter, then an additional 908
- million kilowatts will be needed. The demand for electrical power will
- continue to increase with the industrialization of the world.
-
- Market Projections
-
- The Energy Information Agency (EIA), based in Washington, D.C.,
- reported the 1985 net generation of electric power to be 2,489 billion
- kilowatt hours. At a conservative sale price of $.04 per kilowatt hour
- that results in a yearly income of 100 billion dollars. The EIA also
- reported that the 1985 capacity according to generator name plates to
- be 656,118 million watts. This would result in a yearly output of
- 5,740 billion kilowatt hours at 100% utilization. What this means is
- that we use only about 40% of the power we can generate (an excess
- capability of 3,251 billion kilowatt hours).
- Allowing for down time and maintenance and the fact that the night time
- off peak load is available, it is possible that half of the excess
- power generation capability could be utilized. If 1,625 billion
- kilowatt hours were sold yearly at $.06/kilowatt, income would total
- 9.7 billion dollars.
-
- Project Tesla: Objectives
-
- The objectives of Project Tesla are divided into three areas of
- investigation.
- 1. Demonstration that the Schumann Cavity can be resonated with an
- open air, vertical dipole antenna; 2. Measurement of power insertion
- losses; 3. Measurement of power retrieval losses, locally and at a
- distance.
-
- Methods
-
- A full size, 51 foot diameter, air core, radio frequency resonating
- coil and a unique 130 foot tower, insulated 30 feet above ground, have
- been constructed and are operational at an elevation of approximately
- 11,000 feet. This system was originally built by Robert Golka in 1973
- 1974 and used until 1982 by the United States Air Force at Wendover AFB
- in Wendover, Utah. The USAF used the coil for simulating natural
- lightning for testing and hardening fighter aircraft. The system has a
- capacity of over 600 kilowatts. The coil, which is the largest part
- of the system, has already been built, tested, and is operational.
- A location at a high altitude is initially advantageous for reducing
- atmospheric losses which work against an efficient coupling to the
- Schumann Cavity. The high frequency, high voltage output of the coil
- will be half wave rectified using a uniquely designed single electrode
- X-ray tube. The X-ray tube will be used to charge a 130 ft. tall,
- vertical tower which will function to provide a vertical current
- moment. The mast is topped by a metal sphere 30 inches in diameter.
- X-rays emitted from the tube will ionize the atmosphere between the
- Tesla coil and the tower. This will result in a low resistance path
- causing all discharges to flow from the coil to the tower. A
- circulating current of 1,000 amperes in the system will create an
- ionization and corona causing a large virtual electrical capacitance in
- the medium surrounding the sphere. The total charge around the tower
- will be in the range of between 200-600 coulombs. Discharging the
- tower 7-8 times per second through a fixed or rotary spark gap will
- create electrical disturbances, which will resonantly excite the
- Schumann Cavity, and propagate around the entire Earth.
- The propagated wave front will be reflected from the antipode back to
- the transmitter site. The reflected wave will be reinforced and again
- radiated when it returns to the transmitter. As a result, an
- oscillation will be established and maintained in the Schumann Cavity.
- The loss of power in the cavity has been estimated to be about 6% per
- round trip. If the same amount of power is delivered to the cavity on
- each cycle of oscillation of the transmitter, there will be a net
- energy gain which will result in a net voltage, or amplitude increase.
- This will result in reactive energy storage in the cavity. As long as
- energy is delivered to the cavity, the process will continue until the
- energy is removed by heating, lightning discharges, or as is proposed
- by this project, loading by tuned circuits at distant locations for
- power distribution.
- The resonating cavity field will be detected by stations both in the
- United States and overseas. These will be staffed by engineers and
- scientists who have agreed to participate in the experiment.
- Measurement of power insertion and retrieval losses will be made at
- the transmitter site and at distant receiving locations. Equipment
- constructed especially for measurement of low frequency electromagnetic
- waves will be employed to measure the effectiveness of using the
- Schumann Cavity as a means of electrical power distribution. The
- detection equipment used by project personnel will consist of a pick up
- coil and industry standard low noise, high gain operational amplifiers
- and active band pass filters.
- In addition to project detection there will be a record of the
- experiment recorded by a network of monitoring stations that have been
- set up specifically to monitor electromagnetic activity in the Schumann
- Cavity.
-
- Evaluation Procedure
-
-
- The project will be evaluated by an analysis of the data provided by
- local and distant measurement stations. The output of the transmitter
- will produce a 7-8 Hz sine wave as a result of the discharges from the
- antenna. The recordings made by distant stations will be time
- synchronized to ensure that the data received is a result of the
- operation of the transmitter.
- Power insertion and retrieval losses will be analyzed after the
- measurements taken during the transmission are recorded. Attenuation,
- field strength, and cavity Q will be calculated using the equations
- presented in Dr. Corum's papers. These papers are noted in the
- references. If recorded results indicate power can be efficiently
- coupled into or transmitted in the Schumann Cavity, a second phase of
- research involving power reception will be initiated.
-
- Environmental Considerations
-
- The extreme low frequencies (ELF), present in the environment have
- several origins. The time varying magnetic fields produced as a result
- of solar and lunar influences on ionospheric currents are on the order
- of 30 nanoteslas. The largest time varying fields are those generated
- by solar activity and thunderstorms. These magnetic fields reach a
- maximum of 0.5 microteslas (uT) The magnetic fields produced as a
- result of lightning discharges in the Schumann Cavity peak at 7, 14, 20
- and 26 Hz. The magnetic flux densities associated with these resonant
- frequencies vary from 0.25 to 3.6 picoteslas. per root hertz
- (pT/Hz1/2).
- Exposure to man made sources of ELF can be up to 1 billion (1000
- million or 1 x 109) times stronger than that of naturally occurring
- fields. Household appliances operated at 60 Hz can produce fields as
- high as 2.5 mT. The field under a 765 kV, 60 Hz power line carrying 1
- amp per phase is 15 uT. ELF antennae systems that are used for
- submarine communication produce fields of 20 uT. Video display
- terminals produce fields of 2 uT, 1,000,000 times the strength of the
- Schumann Resonance frequencies.9
- Project Tesla will use a 150 kw generator to excite the Schumann
- cavity. Calculations predict that the field strength due to this
- excitation at 7.8 Hz will be on the order of 46 picoteslas.
-
- Future Objectives
-
- The successful resonating of the Schumann Cavity and wireless
- transmission of power on a small scale resulting in proof of principle
- will require a second phase of engineering, the design of receiving
- stations. On completion of the second phase, the third and fourth
- phases of the project involving further tests and improvements and a
- large scale demonstration project will be pursued to prove commercial
- feasibility. Total cost from proof of principle to commercial
- prototype is expected to total $3 million. Interest in participation
- in this project may be directed to the author.
-
- REFERENCES
-
- The following four papers were presented at the 1984 Tesla Centennial
- Symposium and the 1986 International Tesla Symposium.
- "The Transient Propagation of ELF Pulses in the Earth-Ionosphere
- Cavity", by A-Ahamid Aidinejad and James F. Corum.
- "Disclosures Concerning the Operation of an ELF Oscillator", by James
- F. Corum and Kenneth L. Corum.
- "A Physical Interpretation of the Colorado Springs Data", by James F.
- Corum and Kenneth L. Corum.
- "Critical Speculations Concerning Tesla's Invention and Applications
- of Single Electrode X-Ray Directed Discharges for Power Processing,
- Terrestrial Resonances and Particle Beam Weapons" by James F. Corum and
- Kenneth L. Corum.
-
- FOOTNOTES
-
- 1. Tesla Said, Compiled by John T. Ratzlaff, Tesla Book Company,
- Millbrae, CA, 1984.
- 2. Dr. Nikola Tesla: Selected Patent Wrappers, compiled by John T.
- Ratzlaff, Tesla Book Company, 1980, Vol. I, Pg. 128.
- 3. "The Disturbing Influence of Solar Radiation on the Wireless
- Transmission of Energy", by Nikola Tesla, Electrical Review, July 6,
- 1912, PP. 34, 35.
- 4. "The Effect of Static on Wireless Transmission", by Nikola Tesla,
- Electrical Experimenter, January 1919, PP. 627, 658.
- 5. Tesla Primer and Handbook, Dr. James T. Corum and Kenneth L. Corum,
- unpublished. Corum and Associates, 8551 ST Rt 534, Windsor, Ohio 44099
- 6. Colorado Springs Notes, 1899 - 1900, Nikola Tesla, Nikola Tesla
- Museum, Beograd, Yugoslavia, 1978, Pg. 62.
- 7. Van Nostrands Scientific Encylopedia, Fith Edition, Pg. 899.
- 8. "PC Monitors Lightning Worldwide", Davis D. Sentman, Computers in
- Science, Premiere Issue, 1987.
- 9. "Artificially Stimulated Resonance of the Earth's Schumann Cavity
- Waveguide", Toby Grotz, Proceedings of the Third International New
- Energy Technology Symposium/Exhibition, June 25th-28th, 1988, Hull,
- Quebec, Planetary Association for Clean Energy, 191 Promenade du
- Portage/600, Hull, Quebec J8X 2K6 Canada
-
- FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT TESLA
-
- The Tesla Memorial Society The Tesla Coil Builders Association
- % Nicholas Kosanovich % Harry Goldman
- 453 Martin Road RD #6 Box 181
- Lackawanna, NY 14218 Glenns Falls, NY 12801\
- (716) 822-0281 (518 792-1003
-
- The Tesla Book Company High Voltage Press
- PO Box 1649 PO Box 532
- Greenville, TX 75401 Claremont, CA 91711
-
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
-
- Mr. Grotz, is an electrical engineer and has 15 years experience in
- the field of geophysics, aerospace and industrial research and design.
- While working for the Geophysical Services Division of Texas
- Instruments and at the University of Texas at Dallas, Mr. Grotz was
- introduced to and worked with the geophysical concepts which are of
- importance to the proposed project. As a Senior Engineer at Martin
- Marietta, Mr. Grotz designed and supervised the construction of
- industrial process control systems and designed and built devices and
- equipment for use in research and development and for testing space
- flight hardware. Mr. Grotz organized and chaired the 1984 Tesla
- Centennial Symposium and the 1986 International Tesla Symposium and was
- President of the International Tesla Society, a not for profit
- corporation formed as a result the first symposium. As Project Manager
- for Project Tesla, Mr. Grotz aided in the design and construction of a
- recreation of the equipment Nikola Tesla used for wireless transmission
- of power experiments in 1899 in Colorado Springs. Mr. Grotz received
- his B.S.E.E. from the University of Connecticut in 1973.
-
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