Really don't know if your assertion is correct or not. A few years ago I
built a number of smoke ring 'cannons' to observe how smoke rings work.
They are fascinating critters.
The largest cannon I constructed would project a 'toroidal wave' of around
one foot diameter at a variable velocity up to fast running speed. I was
able to use a large aircraft hanger type building for these observations.
The cannon consisted of a wooden cylinder around 2 feet diameter and a foot
long. The hole at the business end was one foot diameter and the two foot
diameter diaphram inside the cannon was driven by a pulsed solenoid. The
cannon chamber was filled with smoke before energising the solenoid to
produce a smoke ring that sped off. I could project these waves
horizontally to the floor and run along beside them for close observation
of the layers of rotating smoke within the toroid. Interesting experiments
like disrupting the laminar vortex air flow of the wave by poking my finger
into it, while running alongside, and watching the wave 'unravel' were
fascinating.
The lenght of the building was about 200 feet, and while chasing these
smoke rings from one end of the buiding to the other it occured to me that
the smoke ring actually propells 'itself' along. The stored energy in the
laminar air (and smoke) rotation both sucks and pushes the toroidal wave
packet along through the surrounding air. The velocity of the diaphram has
no direct relationship with the velocity of the wave, other than to create
the required pressure (and turbulance) at the issuing end of the cannon.
Anyway, in regards to the possibility of the jet engine using some sort of
toroidal air/fuel approach, I've no idea. The only experiment I did along
these lines was to fill the cannon with propane gas and shoot it at an open
flame several feet away. This resulted in a nice burning smoke ring that
collapsed fairly quickly.
As a matter of interest, these projected toroidal waves are highly
directional and can be created with great energy, they can be acurately
shot at targets over large distances. Toroidal waves are one of the only
ways, that I am aware, of directing a flow of gas (or liquid) from one
location to another without the use of a pipe or duct, etc (with the
probable exception of an 'open' vortex, i.e. tornado).
Great fun.
Bill.
At 21:01 11/04/98 -1000, you wrote:
>I have been trying to find out all I kind about the vortex projectors.
>What I am wondering is this. Several years ago, I remember seeing a TV
>special which mentioned, in passing, that the military was working on
>some new kind of jet propulsion system. They showed a photo which showed
>several bursts of exhaust from the rear of the plane, instead of the
>usual straight plume of nasty gas. Is it possible they were using some
>sort of vortex projector for the propulsion by igniting bursts of
>fuel-air mixture? If I am not mistaken, this should provide higher
>acceleration for the same amount of fuel. Is this a correct assumption?
>
>BillP
>
>