Electromagnetic launch of mm-size pellets to great velocities
- Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)
Small body launching that uses gas or plasma faces the fundamental problem caused by excess energy loss that is due to the great wall surface/volume ratio of the barrel. For example, the efficiency of the plasma armature (PA) rail-gun acceleration is maximum for 8-10 mm-size bodies and drops as their size decreases. That is why in the case of nuclear fusion applications, where 1-2 mm-size pellets at 5-10 km/s velocity are desirable, electromagnetic launchers have not yet demonstrated an advantage over light-gas guns and one is now forced to search for a compromise between the pellet size (increasing it up to 3-4 mm) and its velocity (decreasing it down to {approx}3 km/s). As a whole, the probability of attaining 5-10 km/s velocity for 1-2 mm pellets seems to be rather remote at the present.
- OSTI ID:
- 41470
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940630-; ISSN 0748-1896; TRN: 95:002923-0057
- Journal Information:
- Fusion Technology, Vol. 26, Issue 3; Conference: 11. topical meeting on the technology of fusion energy, New Orleans, LA (United States), 19-24 Jun 1994; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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