I've tried a single wire electricity transmission idea before on HB that didn't go down too well (see link). I'm going to give it another crack.

Wireless electricity transmission is well known; if two inductors are positioned closely, power can be transferred from one to the other. The inductors should be placed in a line (co-linearly) for the electricity to be transferred efficiently. This way, most of the magnetic field generated by one inductor passes through the other inductor.

If there is a loop of metal running through the inductors then the inductors do not need to be co-linear since the loop acts to guide the magnetic field.

Here's my idea/question: If there are two inductors that are relatively close but not co-linear would passing a single wire (not a loop) through both inductors improve the transmission of electricity?

As with the transformer, the idea is to guide the magnetic field from one inductor to the other, but only to the extent of making a 'dipole'.

The application of this idea is for relaying power between small (millimeter sized) adjacent/touching electronic devices.
-- xaviergisz, Nov 20 2009

groundless electricity groundless_20electricity
[xaviergisz, Nov 20 2009]

Wireless energy transfer http://en.wikipedia...ess_energy_transfer
A reasonable place to start [csea, Nov 21 2009]

Essentially a battery without a salt bridge and as we all know galvanic cells without bridges produce no voltage. Sorry.
-- WcW, Nov 20 2009


I think the problem is that inductors work on the y,z axes, whereas a single wire is an x-axis thing (if that makes any sense).

The amount of induction you'd get would be related to the diameter of the wire.
-- FlyingToaster, Nov 20 2009


//If there are two inductors that are relatively close but not co-linear would passing a single wire (not a loop) through both inductors improve the transmission of electricity? //

If the single wire were ferro-magnetic, yes. Copper wire won't work well, if at all.

There are a bunch of complexities beyond the scope of this forum... see [link]
-- csea, Nov 21 2009


the source of the potential current is meaningless. All that matters is that we are trying to push electrons in one direction through a wire. This simply is not going to work.
-- WcW, Nov 21 2009


Here's another way of thinking about it; an electromagnet can be made by putting a ferromagnetic rod in an inductor and then passing DC through the inductor. Question: Would the electromagnet be just as strong if the the ferromagnetic rod was bent as if it were straight?
-- xaviergisz, Nov 21 2009


Another question: how long could a ferromagnetic rod be to transmit electricity in this manner?
-- xaviergisz, Nov 21 2009


//There are a bunch of complexities beyond the scope of this forum\\ Dare I say it? [marked-for-tagline]
-- zeno, Nov 21 2009



random, halfbakery