GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Extreme Wireless Transmitter Can Endure Volcanic Conditions

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 10-04-10 | Comments

A new radio transmitter can withstand temperatures of more than 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit�that's hotter than the inside of a jet engine. Scientists hope the device will enable better research of volcanoes and extreme weather phenomena and even provide information on bomb explosions.

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Extreme Wireless Transmitter Can Endure Volcanic Conditions

A wireless device to withstand this?

When Eyjafjallajokul erupted in Iceland last spring, threatening air traffic and stranding millions of travelers, there was little to do but sit back and watch. Scientists lacked the tools to properly predict what the volcano would do next. Now, thanks to researchers at Newcastle University's Centre for Extreme Environment Technology in England, volcanologists might get an inside look at the extreme conditions of erupting volcanoes. The team has created a radio transmitter that can withstand temperatures equivalent to the inside of a jet engine.

The new wireless transmitter, capable of enduring temperatures of up to 900 degrees Celsius (that's over 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit), is made using silicon carbide electronics. Silicon carbide's unique molecular structure renders it more stable than silicon, and is more tolerant of both high heat and radiation.

The English scientists have already developed the necessary components for real-world applications. They are currently working on integrating these parts into a device the size of an iPhone. The team envisions a broad range of exciting locations for the tool�from airplanes to power plants to volcanoes.

Because of its uniquely stable molecular structure, silicon carbide can endure extreme temperatures and high levels of radiation.

"At the moment, we have no way of accurately monitoring the situation inside a volcano," Dr. Alton Horsfall, one of the electronic engineers, said in the group's press release, "and in fact most data collection actually goes on post-eruption. With an estimated 500 million people living in the shadow of a volcano, this is clearly not ideal."

Next: Warning of Imminent Eruption >>