A RaFIA power system prototype seen here
in the reaction chamber of the Project
Time Machine temporal device, in a lab in
San Francisco.
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"Essentially, this new system will give us more bang for the buck," lead adjunct researcher Justyn Myers said, "We're not really changing anything about the way these devices work, we're just making them work more efficiently."
This new Radial Field Induction Array, or RaFIA, is part of the retrofitting effort for the WWII era Project Time Machine temporal device. The RaFIA system uses electromagnetic induction to charge the crystal with plasma energy, making use of the already present electromagnetic field.
"The plasma reactor used in this type of device will generate an electromagnetic field within the reaction chamber no matter what," temporal dynamics engineer Jessica Lawrence said, "Why not use [the field] to charge the crystal? We're just cutting out the middle man."
A series of coils and intermediary synthetic crystals charge the main Horologium crystal by focusing the electromagnetic energy inside of the reaction chamber into a field around the crystal.
This new approach has already proven to be more efficient than the previously used helix-shaped direct injection system, which used an array of rectangular plates and bushings to direct electrical arc discharge into the crystal. Arc discharge will still be present with the new system, but will ground into the array or casing.
The original helix-shaped direct injection array inside
the reaction chamber of Project Time Machine, during
a field test in January 2011.
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Early tests of the new prototype RaFIA system have shown promising results, with more than a seven percent increase in power efficiency ratings. CiDR engineers hope to double that figure with further calibration of the new system.
"We're definitely on the right track," Lawrence said, "I think it's just a matter of calibration and further testing at this point."
CiDR engineers expect to complete this major component of the ongoing Project Time Machine retrofitting effort by the end of this year, along with several other key components. All of these upgrades are intended to improve functionality and safety of the device.