Plasma Rail Gun

Published on 19 May 2022. Written by Bheru Singh

About the project

A plasma railgun is a linear accelerator uses two long parallel electrodes to accelerate a "sliding short" armature. In a plasma railgun, the armature and ejected projectile consist of hot, ionized, gas-like particles heated by a very high temperature. Scientific plasma railguns are operated in a vacuum.

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The importance of using plasma technology is that they produce muzzle velocities in 100’s of km/shaving applications in magnetic confinement fusion (MCF), magneto-inertial fusion (MIF), High Energy Density Physics research (HEDP), laboratory astrophysics, and as a plasma propulsion engine for spacecraft.

Plasma railguns are categorized in two principle topologies, linear and coaxial where linear railguns consist of two flat plate electrodes separated by insulating spacers and accelerate sheet armatures and coaxial railguns accelerate toroidal plasma armatures using a hollow outer conductor and a central, concentric, inner conductor.

As plasma railguns are an open area of research, the method of armature formation varies. However, techniques including exploding foils, gas cell burst disk injection, neutral gas injection through a fast gas valve, and plasma capillary injection have been employed.

After armature formation, the plasmoid is then accelerated down the length of the railgun by a current pulse driven through one electrode, through the armature, and out the other electrode, creating a large magnetic field behind the armature. Since the driver current through the armature is also moving through and normal to a self-generated magnetic field, the armature particles experience a Lorentz force, accelerating them down the length of the gun.

Plasma railguns are capable of producing controlled jets of given densities and velocities ranging from at least peak densities 1e13 to 1e16 particles/m^3 with velocities from 5 to 200 km/s dependent on device design configuration and operating parameters.

Plasma railguns are being evaluated for applications in magnetic confinement fusion for disruption mitigation and tokamak refueling. Magneto-inertial fusion seeks to implode a magnetized D-T fusion target using a spherically-symmetric, collapsing, conducting liner. Plasma railguns are being evaluated as a possible method of implosion linear formation for fusion.

Kit required to develop Plasma Rail Gun:

• Plasma Fuel
• Railway
• Projectile
• heat transfer

Technologies you will learn by working on Plasma Rail Gun:

• Plasma Technology
• Kinematics
• Thermodynamics

Any Questions?