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Alien Technology On Earth
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Space Mining Technology
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| Horta* Plasma Rock Disintegration by Plasma Incursion |
*The Horta was the creature of the Star Trek episode “The Devil in the Dark”
that lived in rock and was able to tunnel through it at will.
that lived in rock and was able to tunnel through it at will.
Plasma may be created by several means, but to move and maintain the plasma
without direct contact will usually require electromagnetic fields. Plasma has a
property referred to as Debye Shielding, this shielding limits the depth that an
electromagnetic field can penetrate into a volume of plasma. For small cracks or
fissures the affect of Debye Shielding should not be a problem. The plasma density
would need to be high to present any problems for heating a small volume.
Plasma would work the most efficiently in a small volume where the energy r
equirements for heating the plasma would not be excessive. Once a deep pocket of
plasma has been created the microwave generator could apply maximum power to
heat the plasma in the pocket. The plasma could then create a thermal inversion
to fracture the rock between the plasma pocket and the rock surface.
An old method for fracturing rock was to build a fire near the rock to heat it,
then apply water. This would create high mechanical stresses across the sharp
temperature gradient between the cooled surface and heated rock below it. A
thermal gradient that is above the crystalline phase change temperature of
quartz will produce a mechanical expansion greater than could simple thermal
expansion. The internal pressure generated by either effect could cause material
to flake off the surface, or to shatter the rock.
Microwaves were used for cutting and drilling into rock as shown in William C.
Mauers book Novel Drilling Techniques can be adapted for producing thermal
inversions in rock. I suggest that in the vacuum of space, microwaves can heat
artificially generated plasmas to use in rock disintegration and ore extraction.
Ordinary matter will become plasma when heated to a high enough temperature.
A plasma is a gaseous or vaporized material that contains atoms which have
been ionized. Ionized atoms have free electrons (similar to metallic conductors)
which contribute to the unusual properties of plasma state of matter. The plasma's
electrical properties permit electromagnetic fields to heat the plasma. Ionization
can be as low as 1 atom per billion to completely ionized. In a single element
plasma, the plasma density and the relative temperature can be a good indicator
for the degree of ionization. At high pressures and temperatures the electrical
conductivity, (by weight), of a plasma is much greater than for room temperature
metallic conductors.
Plasma conductivity is one of the properties that allow plasmas to be
manipulated by magnetic and electrostatic fields, while enclosed by rock.
Plasma can absorb electromagnetic waves and be heated. Like metallic
conductors, a plasma can partially absorb and/or reflect electromagnetic
waves.
Most rocks, unless they are pure metals or similar conductors, will allow the
passage of electromagnetic waves to some depth within them. The electromagnetic
waves used could be relatively long wavelengths like radio waves, or much
shorter wavelengths like microwaves. The temperature of a plasma can be
maintained at some depth beneath the rock surface by absorbing energy from
impinging electromagnetic waves.
| Plasma Initiation |
Most plasma applications do not confine plasmas with physical walls. In conventional
applications it is considered wasteful and potentially destructive to have the plasma
contact the container walls. In fusion research and industrial sputtering processes the
plasmas interaction with their containers is minimized by design.
The utility of plasmas for mining can be divided along two lines, mechanical and
chemical. Mechanical effects can include cutting through or fracturing the rock. The
chemical effects are dependent on the elemental species of the plasma and the kind
of chemical exchanges that will occur when the plasma is in contact with rocks with
different chemistries.
Horta Plasma is dependent upon contact with the rock surface to be effective. The
technology requirements should be less complex in confining a plasma than for
sputtering or especially fusion applications. The energy requirements for creating
and maintaining confined plasmas though are quite high. A plasma can be viewed
as being similar to the arc created in terrestrial welding. The larger the volume of
the arc, the larger the energy requirements. A terrestrial arc for welding is under
atmospheric pressure and may actually be too dense and hot for our application.
Electrons and heavy ions lose energy when they impact the walls confining them.
The heavy ions also can contact the walls and be chemically bound or physically
captured beneath the confining surface. Energy and the constituent atoms of the
plasma are being continually lost to the surrounding walls.
All confined plasmas require energy input to maintain their equilibrium condition. A
simplified equilibrium condition exists when the plasma gains as many atoms as are
captured by it's container. If an energized gas plasma is confined by a material that
it cannot chemically interact with, and it's heavy ions cannot sputter, the plasma atoms
are not lost and since it is a gas the plasma can be easily reignited. For plasma
materials that normally exist as solids, the atoms can condense if the heavy ions
can't sputter the material away from any contact surfaces. Enough energy is needed
to maintain the plasma population from being reduced by surface losses . These
conditions can be met if the density and temperature of the gas are below some limit.
This could also represent the minimum energy requirements for a confined plasma.
This can also be considered the pilot light condition for a confined plasma.
Increasing the energy of the previous example and either the energy deposited on the
surface of the container will cause it to melt, or the kinetic energy of the gas's heavy
ions will sputter atoms from the surface of the container. Some of the sputtered atoms
from the container may become ionized and join the plasma.
Further increasing the energy will cause the plasma density to increase and the heat
flow to the container walls to increase. Sputtering and melting of the container will
increase. At some point the atoms of the plasma that are from the container material
will exceed the population of the starter plasma. Increasing the input energy above this
point will produce mechanical and thermal stresses that will be destructive to the
container wall.
Any material object will become plasma if heated to a sufficient temperature. Heating
the rock surface with lasers, focused sunlight, or electric arcs can create a high
temperature plasma. The plasma created in the vacuum of space may persist for
a longer period of time and be more easily manipulated than in Earths corrosive
atmosphere and relatively high pressure.
the rock surface with lasers, focused sunlight, or electric arcs can create a high
temperature plasma. The plasma created in the vacuum of space may persist for
a longer period of time and be more easily manipulated than in Earths corrosive
atmosphere and relatively high pressure.
| The Basic Properties of Confined Plasmas |
| Interaction Between Heated Plasma and Rock |
A method to energize the plasma is by direct application of electrical power through
electrically heated filaments Moisan and Pelletier(1992) chapter 10. The electrons
from the electrically heated filaments can be directed against the rock by high
voltage charges. Once the plasma is created the high voltage will no longer be
necessary. The circuit has similarities to the ballast transformer used in fluorescent
lighting.
Electrically heated filaments are also a primary component of electron tubes, which,
can of course function well in the vacuum of space. A less sophisticated industrial
base is needed to manufacture vacuum and gas filled tubes in space. It might be
easier to bootstrap and maintain industrial power components based on older tube
technology. The free electrons from the heated filaments could have eough energy
to start the plasma.
A laser or similar directed energy source could be fired into a rock fissure to take
advantage of surface fissures to act on deeper portions of the rock. The electrons
emitted by the heated filaments, along with the electromagnetic currents traveling
through the filaments, could ionize these particles and begin the plasma creation.
Placing the electrodes/filaments of an electrical generator at two fissures sharing
a common plasma conduction path, would allow the direct electrical heating of the
plasma connecting the fissures.
| Direct Methods of Heating the Plasma |
The chemical interactions of plasmas can have some similarities to aqueous chemical
solutions. Some of properties that control plasma chemical reactions are an elements
ionization energy and the strength of the chemical bonds formed. The chemical bond
strength is closely associated with the temperature at which that chemical will vaporize
into either smaller molecules or into individual elements. A plasma can act as the
solution for two chemically different solids that are in a shared volume. An element
with low ionization energy will tend to remain in the plasma unless it is captured into
a strong chemical bond. The strong chemical bond acts to raise the ionization energy
and make it less likely that a heavy ion collision will release it back into the plasma.
The equilibrium begins to move towards higher ionization energies. By manipulating
the temperature of surfaces and the energy of the plasma a desired chemical reactions
can be selected for. Specific deposition of a desired chemical may be achieved by
pulling heat away from a plasma reactive surface to maintain an optimum temperature.
Eventually an equilibrium will be reached where the electromagnetic fields will no
longer be adding energy to the plasma and the number of sputtered atoms will match
the number of atoms being captured by the rock surface. In addition the ions velocity
will decrease because their acceleration is being interrupted by collisions with other
atoms or electrons. This increase in collisions is a direct result of increasing plasma
density.
A useful phenomena can occur when a solid derived plasma is allowed to cool and
condense is the creation of microparticles. Boulos M. I.,Fauchais P., Pfender E.,
(1994) Thermal Plasmas.
The size and nature of these particles is dependent on many factors. As certain
components condense out of the plasma more quickly, they could form the seeds
around which the rest of the vapor will adhere. If these particles solidify before c
ontacting the surface, they could form spherical micro particles. These shape of these
particles will partially restrict heat flow when these particles fill a volume. Packed
spherical particles have voids which will impede the flow of heat. The voids act to
thermally insulate them from the surrounding cooler rock. The thermal insulation of
their shape, along with their surface to volume ratio would allow the particles to be
returned to a plasma state with greater ease than solid rock.
Another possibility is that the micro particles could be returned to a plasma state by
the intense ultraviolet light created by nearby plasmas, without direct immersion in
the plasma. Another question, is for how long can these liquid particles maintain a
temperature that will allow them to be ionized or re-ignited by an electromagnetic
source, is unknown. If these liquid particles could maintain ignition temperature for
a sufficient period of time, they could be dropped into crevasses, and then ignited
by microwaves before they reach the bottom.
| Vacuum Dispersion Unconstrained |
Released to the vacuum of space, the plasmas constituent atoms will disperse at high
velocities into space. The plasma will need to be contained by walls or fields.
The magnetic mirror cusp of a solenoid may be able to partially contain plasma on
the surface of a rock. In the vacuum of space the plasma might only be contained
because it does not have a direct kinetic path or line of sight path to the surface.
After multiple impacts on surfaces, the plasma components may be entirely captured
before they could escape to the surface vacuum.
To maintain plasma pressure a rock surface could be sealed by fusing sand into the
cracks and fissures. Connected surface openings could be detected and located by
their ionized emissions. Within this sealed environment the plasma can undermine
the rock, or begin processing the material of the rock into more useful products.
Enclosed within the rock, the pressures and temperatures generated by the plasma
could allow for efficient rock cutting or processing.
| Creation of Free Electrons and Enhanced Conductivity Paths |
Plasmas may be generated within entirely sealed off voids within the rock by the use
of ionizing radiation sources. An ionizing radiation source such as an intense x-ray
source could be directed into the rock near a pocket or void. A microwave or RF
beam could also be directed to intersect the x-ray beam at some point near the
pocket. The x-ray beam will create free electrons in the rock with which the
microwaves will interact to produce enough heating to generate plasma in the pocket.
In the pocket near the intersection of these two energy sources, particles may be
ionized and ejected into the pocket. This will seed the plasma in the pocket and the
microwave source will begin heating the plasma and increasing its density. The
plasma in the pocket will need to be established very quickly to prevent heating and
thereby increasing the conductivity and microwave absorption of nearby rock. With
the plasma established in this pocket or void in the rock other possibilities will then exist.
Radioactive materials with short half-lives could be injected or physically placed
within fissures to create free electron sources within the rock. The interaction of the
microwave beam with these radioactive sources would be very similar to the x-ray
example. Easily ionized material could be mechanically transported through the
surface fissures of the rock and then be ionized, at some depth, beneath the rock
face. This could allow plasma generation deep within the rock, without the problems
of maintaining and manipulating the plasma from the surface of the rock
of ionizing radiation sources. An ionizing radiation source such as an intense x-ray
source could be directed into the rock near a pocket or void. A microwave or RF
beam could also be directed to intersect the x-ray beam at some point near the
pocket. The x-ray beam will create free electrons in the rock with which the
microwaves will interact to produce enough heating to generate plasma in the pocket.
In the pocket near the intersection of these two energy sources, particles may be
ionized and ejected into the pocket. This will seed the plasma in the pocket and the
microwave source will begin heating the plasma and increasing its density. The
plasma in the pocket will need to be established very quickly to prevent heating and
thereby increasing the conductivity and microwave absorption of nearby rock. With
the plasma established in this pocket or void in the rock other possibilities will then exist.
Radioactive materials with short half-lives could be injected or physically placed
within fissures to create free electron sources within the rock. The interaction of the
microwave beam with these radioactive sources would be very similar to the x-ray
example. Easily ionized material could be mechanically transported through the
surface fissures of the rock and then be ionized, at some depth, beneath the rock
face. This could allow plasma generation deep within the rock, without the problems
of maintaining and manipulating the plasma from the surface of the rock
| In Situ Removal of Desired Components |
There exists the possibility that the plasma could be used to selectively remove
products, and overburden would never need be handled or removed. The rock
itself would become the processing chamber. The plasma vapor generated in
the rock could be vented or piped to a sophisticated processing unit. The
processing unit could condense and/or separate the desired components. The
presence of oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere makes this
technique difficult on the Earth's surface. Oxides and Nitrogen compounds
tend to require higher temperatures to vaporize than native metals and elements.
The position of the plasma within the rock could accurately be determined with
a highly collimated microwave system and a means of monitoring microwave
reflections from the plasma. With this position sensitivity, a very versatile
method of cutting could become possible. By having the plasma follow existing
fissures it could be moved at a relatively high speed through the rock. This
could be used to sample areas where direct line-of-sight laser spectroscopy
would not work. This could also be helpful in tracking ore veins or broken or
discontinuous ore bodies. Once the end points of an ore vein are mapped the
plasma could vaporize a path following the vein.
If the material that the plasma is traveling through requires a higher
temperature for ionization than those atoms to recruit atoms from the
surrounding rock to make up for losses. Another factor that is dependent
on the elements involved, would be pressure, and by default the temperature,
that the plasma would have to be maintained. The balance between temperature
and pressure would be fundamental to maintaining the integrity of the plasma
within changing rock chemistry.
The vacuum of space may make it economical to modify the existing techniques
used for isotope separation. Techniques used for isotope separation such as
diffusion and selective laser stimulation may be modified for use in separating
and purifying individual elements. Plasma processes consume high amounts of
electrical energy making high purity silicon high priority for use in solar cells.
| .Limitations on Plasma Manipulation by Electromagnetic Waves |
| Apologies and Acknowledgments |
I must apologize to anyone that I have not cited properly. I did very little research in
writing the original of this paper, and my haste was not meant to slight. If you feel
that your work was relevant and should have been cited, please contact me and I
shall try to rectify it. The original paper was written for the Space Resources
Round Table of 2002. I was unable to attend to give it. Special thanks to
Dr. Michael Duke for letting me give a paper titled The Ants of Toutatis' in 2001
and Dr. Leslie Gertsch for telling me about the books of William C. Maurer.
Mauer, W.C. (1968). Novel Drilling Techniques
Lieberman M.A., Lichtenberg A.J.(1994). Principles of Plasma Discharges and
Materials Processing. A Wiley-Interscience Publication.
Moisan, M. Pelletier J. editors (1992). Microwave Excited Plasmas, Plasma Technology,
Elsevier Publishing
Boulos M. I.,Fauchais P., Pfender E., (1994) Thermal Plasmas Fundamentals
and Applications Volume 1 Plenum Press.