Josef Papp
Encyclopedia
Josef Papp was an engineer
who was awarded U.S. patent
s related to the development of a fusion
engine, and also claimed to have invented a jet submarine
.
spotted someone floating in the water, clutching an inflatable life raft
. They fished him out and found that he was dressed like a pilot
with a flight helmet and goggles. He was barely coherent and badly bruised. When questioned, he identified himself as Canadian Josef Papp and claimed to have just bailed out from a submarine. When asked where the crew was, he replied that he was alone in his submarine and had just crossed the Atlantic in 13 hours.
engineer, claimed to have built a special high-speed submarine in his garage
that was propelled by a special underwater jet engine
. However, on his maiden voyage
across the Atlantic he encountered a stability problem and the submarine sank. The media ridiculed him, calling him a madman, a liar and a fraud. He protested against these accusations and even wrote a book entitled The Fastest Submarine, which described the design process, construction and the voyage in his own words. What the book does not describe is how the submarine in question worked. Nor did Papp ever reveal this secret or attempt to prove that it could indeed work. The media found it all too convenient that the submarine had sunk, that two plane
tickets to and from France
had been found in his pocket, and a man resembling him had been seen boarding a plane to France some hours earlier. So the story of Josef Papp fell into relative obscurity, as did his book. The submarine was never found.
compartment in the rear. The pilot sat nearly flat on his back in front of this compartment, with a small periscope built into the hatch. Papp's theory was that the sleek shape would create a sheath of air around the submarine, like a supercavitating
torpedo
, allowing it to reach 480 km/h
(300 mph), which he claims it did.
The engine was supposed to run off of very little fuel
. Papp was notoriously paranoid
, keeping his workshop under lock and key and covering every component in plaster
to stop people from taking photographs. As a result the media claimed that his submarine was made of papier-mâché
.
However impressive the photographs of his "submarine" may have been, David Ansley in the San Jose Mercury News reported that "The London Daily Mirror said Papp admitted it was a stunt, that he couldn't bear to admit to his friends that the submarine wouldn't work."
of noble gases consisting essentially of an inert gas mixture of helium, neon, xenon, krypton and argon, with argon constituting approximately 17% of the mixture by volume.
Papp was issued several U.S. patents for these inventions, including his noble gas fuel mixture (U.S. Patent Nos. 3,680,431, , and ). The existence of these patents appears to contradict claims that Papp took his "secret" fuel mixture to his grave.
Nonetheless, subsequent to Papp's death, no one has demonstrated a working version of his engine. But note that the engine was validated by Professor Nolan and his team from the University of Oklahoma at the time of the 3rd patent application, by request of the USPTO. Nolan's signed affidavit and C.V. is included as Appendix A in the full paper version of the Infinite Energy Magazine special issue on the Papp Engine, edited by Dr. Eugene Mallove
.
The engine continues to be considered by many scientists as a hoax. Papp's poor physics theoretic background is demonstrated in the abstracts of the patents which have been criticized by Richard Feynman
. Mr. Papp presented to an audience, including Feynman, an ill-fated demonstration in 1966, in which his engine exploded, killing one man and seriously injuring two others.
Feynman's conclusion was that Papp was a fraudster and the explosion an attempt by Papp to avoid discovery. After the accident, Caltech (Feynman's employer at the time) chose an out of court settlement of a suit brought by Papp against Feynman. The police investigation following the accident showed no wrong doing on the part of Papp, such as explosives being preplanted in or near the engine.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who was awarded U.S. patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s related to the development of a fusion
Fusion power
Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion processes. In fusion reactions two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus . In doing so they release a comparatively large amount of energy arising from the binding energy due to the strong nuclear force which is manifested...
engine, and also claimed to have invented a jet submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
.
Alleged submarine journey
On August 11, 1966, a fishing boat off Brest, FranceBrest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
spotted someone floating in the water, clutching an inflatable life raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
. They fished him out and found that he was dressed like a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
with a flight helmet and goggles. He was barely coherent and badly bruised. When questioned, he identified himself as Canadian Josef Papp and claimed to have just bailed out from a submarine. When asked where the crew was, he replied that he was alone in his submarine and had just crossed the Atlantic in 13 hours.
Media storm
Thus started a media storm of controversy. Papp, a Hungarian-CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
engineer, claimed to have built a special high-speed submarine in his garage
Garage (house)
A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
that was propelled by a special underwater jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
. However, on his maiden voyage
Maiden voyage
The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....
across the Atlantic he encountered a stability problem and the submarine sank. The media ridiculed him, calling him a madman, a liar and a fraud. He protested against these accusations and even wrote a book entitled The Fastest Submarine, which described the design process, construction and the voyage in his own words. What the book does not describe is how the submarine in question worked. Nor did Papp ever reveal this secret or attempt to prove that it could indeed work. The media found it all too convenient that the submarine had sunk, that two plane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
tickets to and from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
had been found in his pocket, and a man resembling him had been seen boarding a plane to France some hours earlier. So the story of Josef Papp fell into relative obscurity, as did his book. The submarine was never found.
Papp's work
Papp's alleged submarine was built as an elongated cone, looking like a long needle with a cylindrical engineEngine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
compartment in the rear. The pilot sat nearly flat on his back in front of this compartment, with a small periscope built into the hatch. Papp's theory was that the sleek shape would create a sheath of air around the submarine, like a supercavitating
Supercavitation
Supercavitation is the use of cavitation effects to create a bubble of gas inside a liquid large enough to encompass an object traveling through the liquid, greatly reducing the skin friction drag on the object and enabling achievement of very high speeds...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
, allowing it to reach 480 km/h
Hour
The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds...
(300 mph), which he claims it did.
The engine was supposed to run off of very little fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
. Papp was notoriously paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, keeping his workshop under lock and key and covering every component in plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
to stop people from taking photographs. As a result the media claimed that his submarine was made of papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
.
However impressive the photographs of his "submarine" may have been, David Ansley in the San Jose Mercury News reported that "The London Daily Mirror said Papp admitted it was a stunt, that he couldn't bear to admit to his friends that the submarine wouldn't work."
The Papp Engine
Aside from the submarine debacle, his primary accomplishment was the development of an engine that ran off a mixtureMixture
In chemistry, a mixture is a material system made up by two or more different substances which are mixed together but are not combined chemically...
of noble gases consisting essentially of an inert gas mixture of helium, neon, xenon, krypton and argon, with argon constituting approximately 17% of the mixture by volume.
Papp was issued several U.S. patents for these inventions, including his noble gas fuel mixture (U.S. Patent Nos. 3,680,431, , and ). The existence of these patents appears to contradict claims that Papp took his "secret" fuel mixture to his grave.
Nonetheless, subsequent to Papp's death, no one has demonstrated a working version of his engine. But note that the engine was validated by Professor Nolan and his team from the University of Oklahoma at the time of the 3rd patent application, by request of the USPTO. Nolan's signed affidavit and C.V. is included as Appendix A in the full paper version of the Infinite Energy Magazine special issue on the Papp Engine, edited by Dr. Eugene Mallove
Eugene Mallove
Eugene Franklin Mallove was a science writer, editor and publisher of the magazine Infinite Energy, founder of the non-profit New Energy Foundation, a strong proponent of cold fusion, and a supporter of research into that and related exploratory alternative energy topics, some of which are...
.
The engine continues to be considered by many scientists as a hoax. Papp's poor physics theoretic background is demonstrated in the abstracts of the patents which have been criticized by Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
. Mr. Papp presented to an audience, including Feynman, an ill-fated demonstration in 1966, in which his engine exploded, killing one man and seriously injuring two others.
Feynman's conclusion was that Papp was a fraudster and the explosion an attempt by Papp to avoid discovery. After the accident, Caltech (Feynman's employer at the time) chose an out of court settlement of a suit brought by Papp against Feynman. The police investigation following the accident showed no wrong doing on the part of Papp, such as explosives being preplanted in or near the engine.
External links
- Tom Rohner one of two Rohner brothers, designed and built the electronics, magnetic and control system for the last running Papp Engine in 1982.
- Bob Rohner (Rohner Machine Works) one of two Rohner brothers, designed and built the mechanical engine and fuel cell for the last running Papp Engine in 1982.
- Ken Rauen interview on recent R&D efforts with engine mp3 audio
- Papp submarine page in the museum of hoaxes