Tesla Tornado Tube Christmas Tree

Mrfixitrick's Tesla Tornado Tube is a powerful vortex inside a metre-high clear poly tube. With appropriate lighting and sparkles, it makes for a wonderful alternative Christmas tree!

The vortex generator is based on a Tesla disc pump design patented by Nikola Tesla in the early 1900's. ( US Patent # 1,061,142)

Tesla's disc pump, like his fabulous disc turbine, made use of the principles of boundary-layer adhesion of fluids, and viscosity, to create its action.

The magnetic CD disc pack inside this Tesla Tornado Tube, is driven magnetically by an external 12-volt Subaru blower motor with a magnetic flywheel.

For more info and build instructions, see my instructable at http://www.instructables.com/member/mrfixits

Background music is from the new PC game "Tesla", created by EJ Gold and folks at GODDGames.com In the game, help Mrfixitrick find the 7 missing parts of the Spooky Tesla Spirit Radio!

The game "Tesla" is available at http://www.goddgames.com/tesla

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• nikola
• tesla
• turbine
• pump
• vortex
• tornado
• tube
• cyclone
• whirlpool
• spin
• fun
• awesome
• cool
• game
• christmas
• alternative
• experiment
• diy
• project
• xmas
• tree
• steampunk

[MarcioMarrer]

why you don't put an cover on the top?

[MrfixitRick]

@MarcioMarrer

Thanks for the suggestion. A cover would help with spills and evaporation. Spills aren't a problem unless the tube is over-filled.

[rachelwynn]

Just decoration

[MrfixitRick]

@rachelwynn

The main point is this is a demonstration of the Tesla Pump concept. Nikola Tesla considered his turbine/pump to be his greatest invention.

In this case, by rotating a set of magnetically-coupled Tesla type discs inside the tube, a vortex is generated.

Which makes a great decoration!

[hackmattr]

Tesla was the best inventor in my opinion. Too bad he's not part of common knowledge like the "inventors" that stole from him.

[Fuzzy192006]

I would put a chicken in there.

[onefodderunit]

Viktor Schauberger & Nikola Tesla are like ancient mystics in today's dumbed down, Atheistic society. A thirty foot (or larger) diameter tank with a net strainer to keep from being sucked into the drain would provide endless hours of stationary surfing while drawing energy through the vortex. Merry Christmas.

[ghostgirl123ify]

nice :o

[shardsofsteel]

Ok here is an off the wall question. Does the vortex create suction at all? In other words, what would happen if you could SOMEHOW have this draw air through it and if it could SOMEHOW come out the bottom, would be a type of air conditioner? Would warm air drawn through the vortex leave the heat behind in the water absorption?

[thadarkflame]

This is definetly an interesting technology also a very interesting emergency ^_^ So we do have propulsion...^_^... Now I wonder how efficient that propulsion would be on a boat

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing. i think i'll take a look at Tesla's work too ^L^

[thadarkflame]

*o* just Wonderfull. This is poetry to me ^_^ Congrats

[MrfixitRick]

@dieScreamie

The discs inside the tube have 6 magnets glued onto them. The motor's flywheel also has 6 magnets attached.

The magnets are arranged in repulsion mode; the 6 magnets attached to the motor flywheel are North up, and the 6 magnets on the tube's discs are North down. When the motor below the base turns, the discs in the tube turn from magnetic coupling.

[MrfixitRick]

@dieScreamie

The principle of the Tesla Turbine involves the adhesion of fluid to a surface through the boundary layer effect and viscosity.

This example is actually a Tesla Pump, which works by the same principle as the Turbine, but in reverse. When the discs spin, the fluid adheres to the discs, and by the boundary layer effect and viscosity, the fluid is thrown outward and creates pressure and a vortex.

See wikipedia under "Tesla Turbine" for a better explanation and info.

[rachelwynn]

@mrfixitrick oh, that's cool. I could see that as a great accomplishment, thanks for clarifying! :J

[MarcioMarrer]

@MrfixitRick Np. So maybe you can put they in the max speed with the cover! But the cover can be sucked into the vortex, so I advise you to make a hole in the center so that the vortex can pull air.