MagneGen Systems, Inc.

Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894)

Biography

Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a brilliant nineteenth century German scientist who applied a classical mechanistic approach (i.e. a belief that physical forces could be mechanically measured and understood) to at least the following disciplines:

physiology - see his famous 1847 paper "On the Conservation of Force" stating that physical and chemical forces create animal heat and muscle contraction.

optics - see his multivolume Physiological Optics on the physiology and physics of vision together with his invention of the ophthalmoscope.

acoustics - see his 1863 publication On the Sensation of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music.

electrodynamics - see his 1879 postulation of "Pipe Charging" after his appointment as professor of physics at Berlin University in 1871.

Pipe Charging

For purposes of this web site, Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz's major contribution to the development of the MagneGen^® Pipe Protector magnetic water conditioning product is the discovery of the physical phenomenon called "Pipe Charging" which was first published by him in 1879 as part of his work with static interfaces at the University of Berlin. A general statement of "Pipe Charging" with respect to water flowing in pipes is as follows:

when water - water being an electrically conductive material - flows through a pipe

the flowing water charges the pipe positive by stripping away electrons on the inner surface of the pipe - the static interface - through the force of friction.

Water molecules on the inner layer of the static interface tend to stick to the inside of the pipe through adhesion. These inner layer water molecules flow more slowly than water molecules in the outer layer that are not sticking to the surface of the pipe. The faster moving water molecules in the outer layer break some of the weak hydrogen bonds on the slower moving water molecules in the inner layer and create a static electrical charge. Since the potential of the water (i.e. the number of electrons in the water) is greater than the potential of the pipe, the water donates some electrons to the static interface charging the pipe positive and polarizing the water inside the pipe negative. Some manufacturer's of magnetic water conditioning devices have attempted to increase the potential of the pipe by ringing the pipe with lots of magnets. This does indeed increase the potential of the pipe; however, it takes a lot of magnets, it is not an efficient method and it may not work dependably. Helmholtz's Principle of Pipe Charging was later validated and explained in greater detail by Gouy-Chapman's studies from 1910-1913.

By way of observation, naturally occurring water flowing in streams over the earth is normally charged several hundred millivolts positive by exactly the same static interface. The water molecules on the inner layer next to the earth move more slowly, the water molecules on the outer layer in the stream move faster, some of the hydrogen bonds in the slower moving inner layer break creating a static charge, etc. In this case the earth (with an enormous ferrous core) has a greater potential than the water, and the earth donates the electrons, and charges the flowing stream positive. When the water is stagnant and there is no flowing motion to create a static charge, the water assumes the polarity of the earth and is a few millivolts negative.

This positive charging of pipes is the main cause of the accumulation of solids deposited on the inside pipe walls (see our page on The Problem). The dovetailing of Faraday's "Law of Electromagnetic Induction" and Helmholtz's "Pipe Charging" resulted in the invention and patenting of the MagneGen^® Pipe Protector in 1993.

Helmholtz Sources

For further information on Helmholtz, please see the following web sites:

Helmholtz web site at http://www.helmholtz.de/portrait_e.html.

For the most current reading material on Helmholtz we recommend the University of California Press publication Herman von Helmholtz and The Foundations of Nineteenth Century Science which can be obtained through http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/2795.html.

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