Expert: Paul Soderman - 5/23/2010

Question
If possible could you explain the process of the 'super fluid' how to get it to be a super fluid? When the super fluid is spining around in a circle like a tube like circle with little friction could it still reach speeds to increase the friction high enough to burn anything in the middle of the circle? if you don't know what i'm trying to explain don't worry about it.
  thank you for your time
   
   John

Answer
John
Super fluids belong in the realm of physics (quantum mechanics) and chemistry, which is mostly outside my field of aerodynamics.  What I understand is that if you cool helium, for example, to a very very low temperature the fluid will take on unique characteristics called super fluid characteristics.  For example, viscosity disappears.  If you spin a container of super fluid, unlike normal liquids, the fluid will not rotate but will stay stationary until a high enough speed is reached at which point the fluid will spin up to the speed of the container rotation.  That is, the fluid rotation is quantized.  Super fluids will also flow up and out of an unsealed container.  Very strange stuff.

Based on the above I don't see how you can get heat from a fluid that has no viscosity, which means no friction effects.  But I confess I know little about super fluids, so you may need to consult the physics experts on this website to get an answer to your question.
Paul