Nomenclature 0 a ac aeff aes a a0 a 1 a2 acj a i b. However, at the air force rocket propulsion laboratory afrpl the. Just as in an arc welder, a highcurrent electric arc is struck between the anode and cathode. These concepts include the pulse detonation rocket engine pdre, in which repetitive ignition, propagation, and reflection of detonations and shocks can. Assuming that youve got the materials handy, you can build one in about a minute. In practice, this can be accomplished by seeding the combustor flow of a chemical rocket with an alkali metal vapor, such as cs, rb, k and associated compounds. A magnetoplasmadynamic mpd thruster mpdt is a form of electrically powered spacecraft propulsion which uses the lorentz force the force on a charged particle by an electromagnetic field to generate thrust. This is my semester project for university physics 2426 at lcc with dr. Abstract magnetohydrodynamic mhd power generation process is basically based on the physics background of space plasma.
Nuclear propulsion through direct conversion of fusion energy the future of manned space exploration and development of space depends critically on the creation of a dramatically more proficient propulsion architecture for inspace transportation. Plasma propulsion engines using magnetohydrodynamics for space. This is the third in a series of three articles on building simple magnetohydrodynamic mhd propulsion systems. Inductiondrive magnetohydrodynamic propulsion springerlink. After trying out our simple demonstration of magnetohydrodynamic mhd propulsion, you might want to make something a little more practical. Nasatm111435 aiaa 954079 rocket induced magnetohydrodynamic ejector a singlestagetoorbit advanced propulsion concept j. Not something ive been involved in directly, but a good question i noted nobody had responded to yet, and i have touched on mhd for spacecraft propulsion and power generation in the distant past, so i will give it a shot. Although the application of electrical propulsion devices to space propulsion has been studied extensively it may be in order to discuss this question briefly. Application to pumps for hazardous fluids and liquidmetal coolants are also discussed.
The scaling relations for the electrical and hydraulic efficiencies of mhd pumpjets show that overall efficiencies 50% are feasible at speeds of 40 knots and higher provided. Analytical study of magnetohydrodynamic propulsion stability article in journal of marine science and application 3. Nuclear electric magnetohydrodynamic propulsion for. Nuclear electric magnetohydrodynamic propulsion for submarine. In rocket problems, the most common questions are finding the change of velocity due to burning some amount of fuel for some amount of time.
Comparisons are made with directdrive mhd propulsion systems. Pdf fundamentals of rocket propulsion shiva prasad u. Windell writes after trying out our simple demonstration of magnetohydrodynamic mhd propulsion, you might want to make something a little more practical. The purpose of this is to provide a booster capability to augment the thrust derived from a nuclear or chemical rocket engine propulsion system.
As the cathode heats up, it emits electrons, which collide with and ionize a propellant gas to create. Because alkali metals have a relatively low ionization potential, the energy consumed in fully ionizing the seed is. In this device plasma ionized gas is the working fluid similar to the mechanism that happening in the. Generally, a gaseous material is ionized and fed into an acceleration. The goal of this project was to mod an existing lowend rc boat into a magnetohydrodynamic boat, to take a lot of the effort and cost out of building an mhdpowered craft. It is sometimes referred to as lorentz force accelerator lfa or mostly in japan mpd arcjet. These concepts include the pulse detonation rocket engine pdre, in which repetitive ignition, propagation, and reflection. Experimental and theoretical study of magnetohydrodynamic. The basic principle is the faradays law of electromagnetic induction. Magnetohydrodynamic accelerators are only one of several types of electrical propulsion devices being proposed for use in space flight. To determine the change of velocity, use the rocket equation equation \ref9.
A magnetohydrodynamic drive or mhd accelerator is a method for propelling vehicles using. Swallom is the director of military power systems at avco research laboratory, inc. In its basic form, the mpd thruster has two metal electrodes. Magnetohydrodynamic ship propulsion with superconducting. Magnetohydrodynamic control on hypersonic aircraft under. Similarly to rocket propulsion, this would make up the pressure thrust portion of the total thrust. Pdf magnetohydrodynamic augmentation of pulse detonation. This is my first attempt at a magnetohydrodynamic propulsion system made with common household supplies. A computational magnetohydrodynamic model of a gasdynamic fusion space propulsion system by chad j.
Design and construction of a model electromagnetic submarine pdf. I seawater magnetohydrodynamic i propulsion for nextgeneration i undersea vehicles i sponsored by department of the navy office of naval research grant no. Mhd power generation has been tested extensively in the 1960s with liquid metals and plasmas as working fluids basically, a plasma is hurtling down within a channel whose walls are fitted. The fluid is directed to the rear and as a reaction, the vehicle accelerates forward the first studies examining mhd in the field of marine propulsion date. The magnetohydrodynamic mhd propulsion ship by meng han. This section includes select lecture notes for the course excluding lessons on aircraft propulsion and jet engine rotordynamics. Is magnetohydrodynamics a viable type of propulsion for. A magnetohydrodynamic generator is an mhd converter that transforms the kinetic energy of an electrically conductive fluid, in motion with respect to a steady magnetic field, into electricity. The nps institutional archive theses and dissertations thesis collection 1989 nuclear electric magnetohydrodynamic propulsion for submarine. Multimw closed cycle mhd nuclear space power via nonequilibrium hexe. A magnetohydrodynamic drive or mhd accelerator is a method for propelling vehicles using only electric and magnetic fields with no moving parts, accelerating an electrically conductive propellant liquid or gas with magnetohydrodynamics. Highpower electric propulsion with vasimr technology unoosa. They concluded that at higher fields greater than 6 t, practical mhd propulsion systems appear possible. Combustion and magnetohydrodynamic processes in advanced.
Magnetohydrodynamic augmented propulsion experiment magnetohydrodynamic marshall space flight center nitrogen. The magnetohydrodynamic drive is realand you can build. A number of promising alternative rocket propulsion concepts have been developed over the past two decades that take advantage of unsteady combustion waves in order to produce thrust. Magnetohydrodynamic methods and apparatus for propelling a vehicle including. Integrated pulse detonation propulsion and magnetohydrodynamic power r. A magnetohydrodynamic generator mhd generator is a magnetohydrodynamic converter that utilizes a brayton cycle to transform thermal energy and kinetic energy directly into electricity. Magnetohydrodynamic mhd power generation process is basically based on the physics background of space plasma. Propulsion group icrpg mechanical behavior manual 3. Prospects for nuclear electric propulsion using closed. Us3322374a magnetohydrodynamic propulsion apparatus. Magnetohydrodynamic propulsion apparatus filed sept. Analytical study of magnetohydrodynamic propulsion stability.
A polystyrene bead colored blue floats in the salt water between two stainless steel plates that act as electrodes. Magnetohydrodynamic augmented propulsion experiment. The drive system in principle uses electric current and magnetic fields to force water in a. This propulsion system can be applied to a surface ship or a submerged vehicle. Introduction from the most fundamental perspective, meaningful scientific and human exploration of deep space will be possible only if there is an abundant source of energy available for propulsion and onboard. Litchford marshall space flight center, marshall space flight center, alabama. Surprisingly enough, a working example of this futuristic drive system is quite easy to build. Kerrebrock and subsequently adapted by manuel martinezsanchez. The magnetohydrodynamic drive is realand you can build one all you need is a battery, a magnet, and some wires to build your own quasifictional submarine drive. Heres how to build a simple little boat that moves through salt water at a snails pace via mhd propulsion. Mhd generators are different from traditional electric generators in that they operate without moving parts e. Magnetohydrodynamic mhd propulsion is a means of using electrical current, instead of a noisy propeller, to push a ship through the water.
Robertson nasa marshall space flight center huntsville, al aiaa 1995 space programs and technologies conference september 2628, 1995huntsville, al. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Magnetohydrodynamic mhd ship propulsion is the process of propelling a vehicular structure by a seawater electromagnetic pump. Propulsive efficiencies of magnetohydrodynamic submerged. Advanced propulsion concept is the title of a very interesting paper from 1995.