Studies of pellet acceleration with arc discharge heated propellants

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5442383

Schuresko, D D

An arc discharge has been utilized to heat gaseous propellants in a pneumatic pellet gun. A cylindrical arc chamber is interposed between the propellant inlet valve and the gun breech and fitted with a ceramic insert for generating swirl in the incoming gas stream. The arc is initiated after the propellant valve opens and the breech pressure starts to rise; a typical discharge lasts 300 microseconds with peak currents u to 2 kA at arc voltages ranging from 100 to 400 V. The system is instrumented with piezoelectric pressure transducers at the propellant valve outlet, gun breech, and gun muzzle. The gun has been operated with 4 mm diameter polyurethane foam pellets (density = 0.14 g/cm/sup 3/), a 40 cm-long barrel, and various gas propellants at pressures exceeding 70 bar. At I/sub arc/ = 1 kA, V/sub arc/ = 200 V, with helium propellant, the arc produces a 2 to 3 fold prompt increase in P/sub breech/ and a delayed increase in P/sub muzzle/; the pellets exit the gun from 0.5 to 1.0 ms earlier than with the gas alone at 40% higher speeds. Comparisons with the so-called ideal gun theory and with full one-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations of the pellet acceleration will be presented.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5442383
• Report Number(s): CONF-8510266-7; ON: DE86014647
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700205* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems
ACCELERATION
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC ARCS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
FUEL PELLETS
PELLET INJECTION
PELLETS
REACTOR FUELING
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
VELOCITY