Patent RU2097274C1 — Electrically-Driven Craft with Superconducting Meissner-Effect Levitation
Bibliographic Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Patent Number | RU2097274C1 |
| Title | Electrically-Driven Craft (ЭЛЕКТРОПРИВОДНОЙ ЛЕТАТЕЛЬНЫЙ АППАРАТ) |
| Inventor | Nabi Magomedovich Abacharaev (Абачараев Наби Магомедович) |
| Assignee | Nabi Magomedovich Abacharaev (individual) |
| Filing Date | August 6, 1993 |
| Application Number | 93040080/11 |
| Publication Date | November 27, 1997 |
| Classifications | B64C 39/00 — Aircraft not otherwise provided for; F03H 1/00 — Reactive propulsive thrust using plasma |
| Authority | Russian Agency for Patents and Trademarks |
| Jurisdiction | Russia (RU) |
Abstract
Field: heavier-than-air flying vehicles. Substance: Craft includes case 1 on whose surface layer 2 made from superconducting material is applied and electric insulators 3 are mounted for superconducting winding 4 with sections of electromagnetic shields 5 located together in hermetic casing-fairing 6. Effect: enhanced efficiency. 2 drawings.
Claims
Claim 1 (Single claim): An electrically-driven craft comprising a streamlined sealed case (1) with a superconducting coating layer (2) applied to its outer surface, electric insulators (3) mounted on the outer surface for a superconducting winding (4) arranged in a spatial loop configuration around the craft body, electromagnetic shield sections (5) with independent electromagnetic control windings positioned at intervals along the superconducting winding, and an integrated cryogenic cooling system delivering cryogenic medium between the nonmagnetic electrically-insulating fairing (6) and the case housing; wherein selective activation of the electromagnetic shield sections modulates the effective magnetic dipole moment of the craft, enabling controlled interaction with external magnetic fields for propulsion and maneuvering.
Description / Specification
Structural Description
The patent's Figure 1 inline diagram shows a horizontal cross-section through the craft — a thin horizontal disc or flattened ellipsoid with the superconducting layer (2) wrapped around the exterior of the central case (1). The superconducting winding (4) is arranged in what the specification describes as a "tennis ball seam pattern" — a spatial loop configuration that encircles the craft body in a topology that creates a net magnetic dipole with no preferred axis when viewed from the craft's symmetry plane.
The electromagnetic shields (5) are tubular superconducting sections with independent electromagnetic windings. These shields isolate adjacent winding sections from each other's magnetic field, preventing flux cancellation between sections. Each shield section can be independently activated to allow or block the local winding's magnetic flux from coupling to the external environment.
Physics Mechanism: Superconducting Electrodynamic Lift
The physical principle is superconducting electrodynamic lift. A Type II superconductor in the Meissner state expels magnetic flux from its interior (the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect, 1933). If the craft's superconducting skin is brought into proximity with an external magnetic field (Earth's geomagnetic field, or a ground-based field source), the mutual repulsion between the flux-expelled superconducting region and the external field produces a levitation force.
The levitation force scales as:
F_lev ~ (B_ext² / 2μ₀) × A_eff
where A_eff is the effective cross-sectional area of the superconductor interacting with the field. For Earth's surface field (~50 μT):
Energy density = B²/2μ₀ ≈ 1 mJ/m³
For the craft to support meaningful mass, A_eff must be large — this is why the disc/ellipsoid geometry is used, maximizing cross-sectional area normal to the Earth's vertical field.
Stored Persistent Currents and Magnetic Dipole Moment
The stored persistent currents in the superconducting winding create a large magnetic dipole moment m. The interaction between this moment and the external field gradient provides the propulsive force:
F = ∇(m · B)
The advantage of superconducting winding over conventional electromagnets: once the persistent current is established at operating temperature T < T_c, zero electrical power is required to maintain it. The craft's propulsion power consumption is limited to what is needed to control the current distribution (via the electromagnetic shield sections), not to maintain the levitation field itself.
Electromagnetic Shield Sections: The Control Mechanism
The electromagnetic shield sections (component 5) are the key engineering innovation. They allow the persistent current distribution in the winding to be actively reconfigured. When a shield section is activated (superconducting), it prevents the adjacent winding's flux from coupling to the external field at that location. When deactivated (made normally conducting), the full winding flux at that section couples to the external field.
By selectively activating shield sections in different combinations, the effective magnetic dipole direction and magnitude can be dynamically controlled. This enables:
- Attitude control: Changing the direction of m relative to B_ext changes the torque on the craft
- Thrust vector control: Changing the gradient coupling changes the force direction
- Hover stability: Continuous modulation of shield sections maintains stable levitation against perturbations
No mechanical moving parts are required for any of these control functions. The control is entirely electromagnetic — consistent with the "no moving parts" characteristic of observed UAP flight.
Cryogenic System
The hermetic casing-fairing (6) is made from nonmagnetic, electrically-insulating material (to avoid eddy current drag on the alternating flux during shield modulation). Cryogenic medium (liquid helium or liquid nitrogen, depending on the superconductor T_c) circulates in the space between the fairing and the housing, maintaining the superconducting layer and winding below their critical temperatures.
Historical Context
The 1993 Russian filing by a private inventor reflects the explosion of unconventional technology patents in the immediate post-Soviet period, when previously classified research was partially declassified and inventors previously constrained by Soviet secrecy could file civilian patents on technologies developed within the defense system. The electromagnetic shield section concept — enabling dynamic control of a persistent-current magnetic dipole with zero standby power — represents a sophisticated engineering solution that argues for derivation from prior classified development rather than independent civilian invention.
Classification Context
- B64C 39/00 — Aircraft not otherwise provided for (including unconventional lift/propulsion)
- F03H 1/00 — Reactive propulsive thrust using plasma
Related Patents in This Archive
| Patent | Mechanism | Key Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| US6318666B1 (Track_25) | Meissner levitation + Ampere propulsion | Spherical geometry, liquid nitrogen cooling |
| CN109573106B (Track_23) | ∇(m·B_ext) with partial shielding | Jupiter-class deep space, Nanjing University |
| JP2936858B2 (Track_27) | Meissner asymmetric directional force | NEC Corp, asymmetric multipole field |
Citations
- Russian Agency for Patents and Trademarks — RU2097274C1
- Meissner, W. and Ochsenfeld, R. (1933) — original Meissner-Ochsenfeld flux expulsion paper
Patent text compiled from Google Patents. Machine-translated from Russian; original Russian text at the above URL.