| 摘要 |
An apparatus and method for concentrating natural magnetic fields using superconducting materials. In general, a cylindrical shell of superconducting material is aligned substantially parallel to a natural magnetic field, where the superconducting material's cross-sectional area near its center of mass is substantially smaller than its maximum cross-sectional area, resulting in a concentration of the natural magnetic field. One embodiment includes two large sheets of superconducting material, with openings at their centers, connected by a narrow superconducting tube, with the sheets oriented substantially perpendicular to natural magnetic fields and the tube oriented substantially parallel to these fields. Natural magnetic fields such as the Earth's magnetic field can be concentrated to magnetic field strengths found in conventional electromagnets and permanent magnets. Other embodiments combine superconducting materials with non-superconducting magnetically permeable materials. Highly efficient electric power equipment can be constructed based upon the invention. Significant advantages include the fact that no external power input is required to create locally high magnetic fields and relatively loose geometrical and construction tolerances. |
