Railgun conductor heating from multiple current pulses
A numerical technique for solving current- and thermal-diffusion problems in railgun conductors has been used to study joule heating in rails that are subject to multiple current pulses. Copper rails that are 25 mm high by the 12.5 mm wide with a 20-mm-square bore and a current pulse with 1-MA peak current and 1-ms pulse width at half maximum were assumed. This combination of parameters is sufficient to accelerate an 80-g projectile to 2-3 km/s with which current pulse. Three parameters were varied in the analysis: the repetition rate or current pulse frequency (3.3 to 100 Hz), the coolant heat-transfer coefficient (5 x 10/sup 4/ and 5 x 10/sup 5/ W/m/sup 2/ .K), and the coolant channel distribution in the rail. Detailed results are used to illustrate the acceptability or unacceptability of particular combinations of these parameters for operation at steady state. An uncooled rail was not acceptable for steady-state operation. Repetition rates of about 30 Hz were acceptable with the higher coolant heat-transfer coefficient and the best coolant-channel distribution; this included cooling the rail exterior surface.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5933168
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-86-815; CONF-8604147-4; ON: DE86008724; TRN: 86-014377
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 22; Journal Issue: 6; Conference: 3. symposium on electromagnetic launch technology, Austin, TX, USA, 20 Apr 1986; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Railgun conductor heating from multiple current pulses
Study of a transaugmented two-stage small circular-bore railgun for injection of hypervelocity hydrogen pellets as a fusion reactor refueling mechanism