Hermann Plauson

Hermann Plauson
Biography
Nationality	Estonian-German
Era	Early 20th century
Known For	Industrial-scale atmospheric electricity harvesting
Patent
Number	US 1,540,998
Title	"Conversion of Atmospheric Electric Energy"
Filed	1922
Granted	June 9, 1925
Figures	12 detailed engineering drawings
Related Tech	Atmospheric Electricity · Thunderstorm Generator

Hermann Plauson was an Estonian-German inventor and engineer who secured one of the most comprehensive patents ever filed for atmospheric electricity conversion — US Patent 1,540,998, granted June 9, 1925. The patent contains 12 detailed engineering figures and describes systems scalable from single-collector research stations to continent-spanning energy networks.

The Patent (US 1,540,998)

Plauson's patent describes an integrated system for harvesting the Earth's atmospheric electric field:

Collector System

• Metallic balloons — aluminum-magnesium alloy (magnalium, specific gravity 1.8), 0.1–0.2 mm wall thickness
• Fill gas: hydrogen or helium for buoyancy
• Altitude: 300–5,000 m, tethered on coppered steel hawsers
• Ionization enhancement: Small quantities of polonium, ionium, or mesothorium applied to balloon surfaces to increase local ionization and charge collection rate
• Tower alternative: Copper tube towers up to 300 m for fixed installations

At 300 m altitude, the collected potential:

$V\approx 100{\text{–}}150{\text{ V/m}}\times 300{\text{ m}}=30{,}000{\text{–}}45{,}000{\text{ V}}$

Conversion Circuit

• Spark gap discharge — converts high-voltage DC atmospheric charge into high-frequency electromagnetic oscillations
• RLC oscillation circuit — primary coil + condenser banks form resonant circuit
• Safety electromagnets (choke coils) — protect equipment from lightning strikes
• Condenser batteries — store harvested energy; cooled in liquefied gases for large installations
• Unipolar connection — connecting condenser banks by only one pole to the collector network increases working voltage from ~400 V to >500 V

Resonant frequency:

$f={\frac {1}{2\pi {\sqrt {LC}}}}$

Scalability

Plauson designed for scale:

• Single balloon (300 m) → ~40 kV, sufficient for small laboratory
• Networks of interconnected collectors → multi-megawatt potential
• Condenser equalization systems for voltage regulation between stations
• Resonance motors adapted for the high-frequency AC output

Significance

Plauson's patent demonstrates that atmospheric electricity harvesting was engineered to industrial scale in the 1920s. The technology was never commercially deployed — consistent with the broader pattern documented in Suppressed Energy Technology.

See Also

• Atmospheric Electricity
• Thunderstorm Generator
• Stanley Meyer
• Malcolm Bendall
• Suppressed Energy Technology

External References

• Plauson, Hermann. US Patent 1,540,998 — "Conversion of atmospheric electric energy" (1925). Full text: USPTO.