MagneGen Systems, Inc.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

The basic principles of electro-magnetics were discovered and set forth in the mid-nineteenth century by a number of European and American scientists. For purposes of our product - the MagneGen^® Pipe Protector - the English physicist Michael Faraday is the most important. He has been credited with the discovery of "The Law of Electromagnetic Induction" which he published in 1831. An American physicist, Joseph Henry (1799-1878), had previously made the same discovery in 1830; however, he did not publish his findings until after Michael Faraday had done so. In any case, Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction states that

when a moving electrically conductive material (which in our case is water flowing through a pipe)

cuts a magnetic field (which in our case is generated by our MagneGen^® Pipe Protector installed on the outside of the pipe but projecting magnetic flux lines on the inside of the pipe) perpendicular - i.e. at a 90° angle - to the moving electrically conductive material

a direct current is "induced" into the conductive material (which in our case is the water which is charged positive with the pipe being polarized negative).

Faraday Generator

In the case of the MagneGen^® Pipe Protector we create a simple Faraday Generator using Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction by having

a ferrous pipe - in conjunction with the ferrous condenser of the the MagneGen^® Pipe Protector - act as the negative field coil (i.e. the stator or fixed part of the Faraday Generator) and

the flowing water passing inside the pipe and cutting the magnetic field - perpendicular to the flow of the water - produced by the MagneGen^® Pipe Protector acting as the positive armature (i.e. rotor or moving part of the Faraday Generator)

thus converting the flowing water's kinetic energy into electric charges generated (a) in and on the pipe as a negative polarity and (b) in the flowing water - together with its dissolved solids - as a positive charge.

Faraday Sources

For further information on Michael Faraday please have a look at the following web sites:

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic's Engineers' page entitled "An Exhibit by the IEEE Center for the History of Electrical Engineering" on lines and waves located at http://www.ieee.org/history_center/general_info/programs_and_projects/exhibits/lines_and_waves/lines_menu.html.

There is "A Gallery of Electromagnetic Personalities; A Vignette History of Electromagnetics" located at http://www.ee.umd.edu/~taylor/frame1.htm .

There is also a very interesting lecture delivered by none other than Hermann Helmholtz himself before the Fellows of the Chemical Society in London on April 5, 1881,entitled "The Modern Development of Faraday's Concept of Electricity" located at http://www.dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/Chem-History/Helmholtz-1881.html.

Given the coincidence of the discoveries of Faraday in 1831 (described above) and Helmholtz in 1879 (please see our Helmholz web page) in the invention of MagneGen's^® products, this lecture - which was delivered as the annual "The Faraday Lecture" in 1881 - seems particularly relevant.

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