Fusion fuel pellet injection with a railgun

摘要: Railguns have been nominated as fusion fuel pellet injectors. It appears that a railgun could launch dielectric hydrogen isotope pellets at velocities up to 10 km/s or more high repetition rates. A consists of two parallel conductors (rails) carry current and from an interconnecting link (plasma arc armature). The magnetic field generated by the rail currents accelerates armature pellet. In addition velocity, offers several potential advantages for injection: (1) can be dielectric, (2) fed into open breech rapidly they are launched, (3) controlled ensure isentropic acceleration, (4) mass propulsive is less than mass, (5) cryogenic vacuum operation possible, (6) provided lateral support permitting acceleration stresses in excess its tensile strength, which results shorter injectors, times, higher most restrictive limitation on injector low strength solid pellets. An stress limited 30 bars would require launcher length 3400 times DT projectile achieve km/s; i.e., 5‐mm‐long 17‐m launcher. critical area needing investigation potentially adverse effect temperature