An augmented multiphase rail launcher with a modular design: theoretical considerations and development

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a novel approach toward electromagnetic launch.

Design/methodology/approach

The field of linear electromagnetic acceleration aims at accelerating macroscopic masses (up to several kg) to speeds in excess of 2 km/s. This can be achieved using accelerators of the railgun type. The innovation of this work lies in the use of multiphase current instead of the classically used quasi-direct current (DC). The approach taken is to work out in a first step the potential performance of such a configuration, for example, by showing that a constant propulsive force can be realized. Next, the necessary changes for the system setup were carefully analyzed. Both the accelerator and the power supply have to be considerably modified with regard to the classical approach.

Findings

Thorough analysis of the electromagnetic behavior of the launcher including nonlinear effects lead to an innovative system design which is considered to be the main finding of the work presented here. Moreover, a prototype was build. The preliminary experimental results obtained are in very good agreement with corresponding simulations validating the underlying modeling approach.

Research limitations/implications

For the purpose of this paper, power levels of only 450 kVA are considered. However, this research can be used to design more powerful devices in the future.

Originality/value

While DC powered railguns are modeled very well in a variety of papers, the use of multiphase alternating current is not very well discussed yet. It could be of value for launch scenarios, for which very high speeds are required such as the launch of micro satellites to space.

Citation

Zellmer, F., Löffler, M., Schneider, M. and Kreischer, C. (2023), "An augmented multiphase rail launcher with a modular design: theoretical considerations and development", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 42 No. 6, pp. 1372-1381. https://doi.org/10.1108/COMPEL-08-2022-0261