h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Flux Compression Generator - A737796
Author: BlueAcorn - U193250

Article on Flux Compression Generators

wow!

This is very well written.

a quick check for how it flows and I think this is already good enough for the edited guide.

I hope a scout picks this soon!

cheers, this is my first article...

Hi BlueAcorn!

Please don't take these comments amiss. They are meant to help.

I can't comment about the content of the entry, however I am a bit confused by it. I gather it must be technically correct as xyroth is excited about it, however I haven't grasped what the Flux Compression Generator is all about. I suspect it is meant to be a way of generating safe nuclear energy??? If so, perhaps it should say so more explicitly.

You don't define EMP - guessing, I would think electro magnetic pulse??

There are some typos and grammatical things which need attending to as follows:

disrupter > disrupted

'Very little energy is actually required to permanently destroy them, any voltage in excess of ten Volts can effectively destroy the device, even if the pulse is not powerful enough to produce any damage, the power supply in the equipment will readily supply enough energy to complete the job.'

This sentence needs splitting into separate sentences after 'destroy them' and 'device'.

miniturisation > miniaturisation

off shoots > offshoots

'One of the off shoots of this research was the Flux Compression Generator this is essentially a very simple weapon.'

This needs splitting into two sentences after 'Generator'.

Now I'm confused. Is it a weapon that is meant to be modified for peaceful means. Perhaps it needs a qualified here.

'600(kilometres/meters?)' You need to decide which is correct here.

'The tube is wrapped with a copper coil and is energised by a bank of capacitors, this creates a magnetic around the coil, the metal tube is detonated a t one end at the peek of this magnetic field.'

This needs either to be split into three sentences or connecting words need to be used. The splits should be after 'capacitors' and 'coil'. You need to close the gap in 'a t'.

'peek' > 'peak'

'Once detonation occurs the metal tube flares outward causing the coil to short circuit along its length, this propagating short circuit has the effect of compressing the magnetic field while reducing the inductance of the coil.'

This sentence needs to be split into two after 'length'.

What does 'ramping' mean in the context of current?

'The effects of the EMP con be prevented/reduced by using a faraday cage, there are currently a few known weaknesses in this method the first is that very-high-frequency pulses, in the microwave range, can worm their way around vents in Faraday Cages.'

con> can
faraday cage > Faraday Cage

This sentence needs splitting after 'cage' and 'method'.

'The second concern is known as the "late-time EMP effect," it occurs around 15 minutes after the detonation; the EMP that surged through electrical systems creates localised magnetic fields.'

Again this sentence needs wither breaking after 'effect' or 'it' being substitued for 'which'.

Would it be in order to say how far away from being an effective source of power this is?

Sorry for the length of this comment. I hope it has been useful.

It is technically correct (to thelimits of my knowledge) and gives quite a good explanation of how this devise works.

obviously I was jumping the gun a little in saying it was ready, as you found it hard to understand.

What the article describes is how to build and operate a Directed ElectroMagnetic Pulse (DEMP) gun. There are a number of uses for this technology (but most of them are warefare related).

It also describes how a faraday cage (basically putting your device inside a biscuit tin) will (mostly) protect it from a demp pulse.

It also points out how most faraday cages are not designed to handle this precise type of pulse, and how you need to be aware of that problem.

I hope that clarifies things a bit.

Thanks guys, i will amment the entry today when i get a minute, as long as the boss is not looking, if there are no entrys on EMP or Faraday cages, perhaps i might try my hand at them...

I have done a quick update, let me know what you think, i have changed the introduction so you actuall know what the thing is.

Thanks Guys

"...most of them are warefare related..." - "warfare", perhaps?

Congratulations, BlueAcorn.

You don't seem to have got the usual message, but this excellent Entry has been recommended for the Edited Guide and is now being sub-edited by yours truly at Entry ID: A758081

Do take a look and let me have any comments.



Bels

congratulations.