Magnetic-probe diagnostics for railgun plasma armatures

The author assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the various magnetic-probe techniques currently in use and provides recommendations for future improvements in magnetic probe diagnostics for plasma-armature railguns. Analytic approximations for the dependence of the probe signal on probe location and railgun geometry are presented. Rail current and armature current probes are compared and contrasted with respect to resolution and accuracy. Further improvements in measurement accuracy are predicted for close-spaced magnetic-probe arrays     

Equilibrium lengths of railgun plasma armatures

Recent data have shown that the length of railgun plasma armatures increases with bore size. The mechanisms for plasma growth and mass loss are treated analytically through a simple thermodynamic model in which mass is added through ablation of bore materials and lost through friction. It is assumed that at the bore wall, a thin boundary layer is formed in the plasma in which the velocity is sufficiently slow that the boundary layer is left behind the bulk of the plasma. Using the scaling relations of J.D. Powell and J. Batteh (1983), a functional relationship between the plasma length l_p and bore height h of the form l_p=kh^α, where α≃0.68. Using the model developed in the present work, a linear relationship between l_p and h is derived, but the proportionality factor depends on temperature, plasma conductivity, velocity, and boundary-layer thickness. Predictions of the model are interpreted in the light of available data. The model is shown to predict lengths which are in reasonable agreement with the observed data     

Thermodynamic and electrical properties of railgun plasma armatures

A model including the nonideal effects is presented that describes the plasma composition, equation of state, internal energy, and electrical conductivity for a very dense and relatively cool plasma like that which exists in a railgun plasma armature. Results are presented for four elements of specific interest for plasma armatures-hydrogen, lithium, aluminum, and copper-for pressures ranging from 1 to 1000 atm and temperatures ranging from 10000 to 50000 K. The results are presented in a graphical format which should prove useful to modelers and experimentalists investigating plasma armatures     

Arc motion in railgun plasma armatures

H.H. Maecker's theory (1971) for arc motion and displacement is extended to the pressure-dependent arc conditions found in railgun armatures. It is shown that for the railgun plasma armature there are thermal mechanisms, which do not exist for solid armatures, that tend to move the peak of the current density forward toward the base of the projectile, thereby mitigating the tendency of the velocity skin effect to concentrate the current density toward the rear. This effect may explain the variance between some theoretically predicted current density profiles in plasma armatures and those measured by B-dot probes     

Scaling laws for plasma armatures in railguns

A methodology for deriving the electrical and thermodynamic properties of plasma armatures in railgun launchers is presented. The methodology is based on the solution to the one-dimensional, quasi-steady equations for the plasma armature. It is shown that the thermodynamic and transport properties for typical armature materials can be adequately represented by power-law curve fits in the temperature and pressure regimes of interest. To illustrate the methodology, detailed computations for both copper and aluminum armatures are performed. Some discussion is also presented for hydrogen armatures. It is shown that the armature properties predicted by the scaling laws agree very well with those derived from more detailed numerical solutions to the governing differential equations. It is shown that, for both aluminum and copper armatures, the electrical conductivity is a strong function of the current per unit rail height and a weak function of launcher geometry. This dependence is shown to be in reasonable agreement with experimental data compiled over a wide range of gun bore dimensions and operating conditions     

电磁轨道发射器的模型化研究方法

为了更高效地对电磁轨道发射进行大量的实验研究,分析改进了使用中小口径发射器作为研究对象的模型化研究方法。考虑到材料属性等实验条件的可行性,对电磁轨道发射器进行模型化,分析其电磁场、温度场等物理场以及速度、带载能力等性能指标,提出较为可行的模型化研究方案,并利用Ansoft Maxwell等软件对瞬态情况下的发射器三维模型进行仿真验证。理论推导和仿真结果表明：电磁轨道发射器的模型化研究方法有很多种,在大口径原型发射器中采用电导率相对较低的材料,即可实现与现有的、采用电导率较高材料的中小口径发射器的物理场匹配,且保证速度和单位体积带载能力相同。     

电磁轨道发射器的模型化研究方法北大核心CSCD

为了更高效地对电磁轨道发射进行大量的实验研究,分析改进了使用中小口径发射器作为研究对象的模型化研究方法。考虑到材料属性等实验条件的可行性,对电磁轨道发射器进行模型化,分析其电磁场、温度场等物理场以及速度、带载能力等性能指标,提出较为可行的模型化研究方案,并利用Ansoft Maxwell等软件对瞬态情况下的发射器三维模型进行仿真验证。理论推导和仿真结果表明:电磁轨道发射器的模型化研究方法有很多种,在大口径原型发射器中采用电导率相对较低的材料,即可实现与现有的、采用电导率较高材料的中小口径发射器的物理场匹配,且保证速度和单位体积带载能力相同。     

Scaling study of the combustion performance of gasben gas rocket injectors

To obtain the key subelements that may influence the scaling of gas-gas injector combustor performance, the combustion performance subelements in a liquid propellant rocket engine combustor are initially analysed based on the results of a previous study on the scaling of a gas-gas combustion flowfield. Analysis indicates that inner wall friction loss and heat-flux loss are two key issues in gaining the scaling criterion of the combustion performance. The similarity conditions of the inner wall friction loss and heat-flux loss in a gas-gas combustion chamber are obtained by theoretical analyses. Then the theoretical scaling criterion was obtained for the combustion performance, but it proved to be impractical. The criterion conditions, the wall friction and the heat flux are further analysed in detail to obtain the specific engineering scaling criterion of the combustion performance. The results indicate that when the inner flowfields in the combustors are similar, the combustor wall shear stress will have similar distributions qualitatively and will be directly proportional to p_c^0.8 d_t^-0.2 quantitatively. In addition, the combustion peformance will remain unchanged. Furthermore, multi-element injector chambers with different geometric sizes and at different pressures are numerically simulated and the wall shear stress and combustion efficiencies are solved and compared with each other. A multi-element injector chamber is designed and hot-fire tested at several chamber pressures and the combustion performances are measured in a total of nine hot-fire tests. The numerical and experimental results verified the similarities among combustor wall shear stress and combustion performances at different chamber pressures and geometries, with the criterion applied.     

脉冲电流波形对固体电枢滑行性能的影响

利用一种小型脉冲功率系统的脉冲形成网络进行波形调制,得到了锯齿、凸顶和平顶脉冲电流波形,利用这三种脉冲电流开展了导轨型电磁驱动系统中的固体电枢滑行实验,通过测量电枢极限出口速度,比较了不同脉冲电流波形对固体电枢滑行性能的影响。结果表明：电流变化急剧的锯齿波形在较低的充放电能量下就会引起固体电枢与导轨界面接触失效,发生烧蚀现象,因而不利于固体电枢的滑行; 相同充放电能量条件下,凸顶波形比平顶波形得到的固体电枢出口测速高,即效率更好; 平顶波形可使固体电枢承受更高的充放电能量,且平顶波形比凸顶波形的极限出口测速高; 三者相比,平顶波形最有利于固体电枢与导轨良好接触,电枢的滑行性能表现得最好。     

重复推进滑动电接触的试验研究

重点研究了低速条件下重复推进对电枢与导轨的接触状态、初速等的影响。试验采用6路时序脉冲功率电源、10 mm方口径装置和U型单体铝电枢,利用建立的试验系统进行重复推进试验。试验结果表明：随着重复次数增加,电枢和导轨的接触状态趋于良好,电枢启动时间提前,初速增大。说明在电枢低速运动条件下,重复试验中导轨表面遗留富含铝的堆积物对下一次试验的滑动电接触有积极作用。     

重复推进滑动电接触的试验研究

重点研究了低速条件下重复推进对电枢与导轨的接触状态、初速等的影响。试验采用6路时序脉冲功率电源、10 mm方口径装置和U型单体铝电枢,利用建立的试验系统进行重复推进试验。试验结果表明:随着重复次数增加,电枢和导轨的接触状态趋于良好,电枢启动时间提前,初速增大。说明在电枢低速运动条件下,重复试验中导轨表面遗留富含铝的堆积物对下一次试验的滑动电接触有积极作用。     

管身对中口径电磁轨道炮的影响分析

以脉冲电流作为激励的电磁轨道炮无可避免地在不锈钢管身上感应出巨大涡流,涡流不仅自身损耗能量,而且削弱电枢的推进力,降低发射效率。为深入研究管身对电磁轨道炮的影响,结合场路模型计算了电磁轨道炮系统的发射效率和涡流能耗,讨论了不同管身结构和材料下的发射效率,进一步分析了管身对电磁轨道炮力学特性的影响。结果表明:基于10MJ脉冲电源的中口径电磁轨道炮,其不锈钢管身将大幅削弱系统的发射效率,管身涡流能耗比炮口动能的一半还多;采用层压式结构的高导磁材料作为管身,发射效率的提升尤为明显;管身对电枢轴向力的削弱是导致发射效率下降的根本原因,对电枢径向力的削弱则不利于电枢和轨道的良好接触,从而增加接触电阻,降低发射效率;但是对身管各部件径向力的减小有助于降低身管所需预紧力。     

串联型双轨增强电磁轨道炮电路模拟

建立了包括脉冲电源模块和电磁轨道炮的全电路模型,实现了从电源放电至电磁轨道炮发射过程的全电路模拟。根据电源放电与洛伦兹力加速的耦合方程组,在电路模型内将电源的基本单元封装成子电路模块、弹丸受力运动模型转化为电路解耦模块,建立了针对24个基本单元组成的电源网络驱动串联型双轨增强电磁轨道炮的电路模型。将模拟结果与实验结果进行对比,电流模拟结果偏差2.6%,电枢出膛速度模拟结果偏差9.8%,模拟与实验结果基本一致,验证了模型方程和模拟方法的可靠性和合理性。     

ICF点火靶定标关系与稳定性优化设计研究

激光等离子体相互作用（LPI）和瑞利-泰勒流体不稳定性（RTI）是影响间接驱动惯性约束聚变成功的两个主要不确定性因素。点火黑腔内环激光通道在靠近黑腔壁的区域是内环激光SRS背反产生与发展的主要区域。内环通道在该区域满足通道内外压力平衡和能量平衡条件。据此提出了间接驱动惯性约束聚变点火黑腔等离子体定标关系。结合描述靶丸内爆飞行阶段物理以及内爆性能的两个定标关系,提出了描述稳定性相对性能的指标。该指标可以指导点火靶设计,为LPI和RTI提供需要的裕量空间,是点火阈值因子（ITF）的补充。     

ICF点火靶定标关系与稳定性优化设计研究

激光等离子体相互作用(LPI)和瑞利-泰勒流体不稳定性(RTI)是影响间接驱动惯性约束聚变成功的两个主要不确定性因素。点火黑腔内环激光通道在靠近黑腔壁的区域是内环激光SRS背反产生与发展的主要区域。内环通道在该区域满足通道内外压力平衡和能量平衡条件。据此提出了间接驱动惯性约束聚变点火黑腔等离子体定标关系。结合描述靶丸内爆飞行阶段物理以及内爆性能的两个定标关系,提出了描述稳定性相对性能的指标。该指标可以指导点火靶设计,为LPI和RTI提供需要的裕量空间,是点火阈值因子(ITF)的补充。     

Two-dimensional MHD simulation of isothermal plasma armatures

The authors report results on the use of a two-dimensional resistive MHD code to simulate the internal dynamics in a railgun plasma armature, starting from a slightly perturbed equilibrium initial state. The plasma temperature, conductivity, and ionization fractions are treated as uniform in space and constant in time. The rear of the plasma is in contact with a low-pressure nonconducting gas. A finite-difference, explicit, Eulerian, flux-corrected transport code is used to advance all quantities in time. The computation grid has 200 cells parallel to the rails, and 20 across the rails. The results show the growth and subsequent shedding of the plasma mass toward the nonconducting region at the rear. The mass lost is not replenished and the armature becomes shorter, with steeper pressure and magnetic field profiles. The bulk of the profiles is not thoroughly disrupted, but behaves rather sturdily and seems to maintain a shape fairly close to the equilibrium profiles     

管身对中口径电磁轨道炮的影响分析

以脉冲电流作为激励的电磁轨道炮无可避免地在不锈钢管身上感应出巨大涡流,涡流不仅自身损耗能量,而且削弱电枢的推进力,降低发射效率。为深入研究管身对电磁轨道炮的影响,结合场路模型计算了电磁轨道炮系统的发射效率和涡流能耗,讨论了不同管身结构和材料下的发射效率,进一步分析了管身对电磁轨道炮力学特性的影响。结果表明：基于10 MJ脉冲电源的中口径电磁轨道炮,其不锈钢管身将大幅削弱系统的发射效率,管身涡流能耗比炮口动能的一半还多;采用层压式结构的高导磁材料作为管身,发射效率的提升尤为明显;管身对电枢轴向力的削弱是导致发射效率下降的根本原因,对电枢径向力的削弱则不利于电枢和轨道的良好接触,从而增加接触电阻,降低发射效率;但是对身管各部件径向力的减小有助于降低身管所需预紧力。     

Scaling study for a high-field magnet for quasi-optical gyrotrons

The design of a 12 T superconducting magnet for a 280 GHz quasi-optical gyrotron is discussed. The gyrotron geometry requires a clear bore perpendicular to the magnetic axis through the center of the magnet, thus forcing the magnet to be formed of two separate sections. This causes the peak field on the windings to be over 14 T, and produces a double-peaked structure in the field. Calculations of mirror and cross bore RF heating and electron beam reflection as a function of the magnet and cross bore dimensions are presented, as are discussions of other tradeoffs in the magnet design. The conclusion of the study is that a suitable magnet is feasible