Compulsators: advanced pulsed power supplies for hypervelocity accelerators

• Main Author: Driga, M.D.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternators; Ceramics; Coils; Electromagnetic launching; EMP radiation effects; Power supplies; Prototypes; Pulsed power supplies; Railguns; Weapons
• DOI: 10.1109/PPC.1999.825476

The relatively large family of rotating electrical machines called compulsators (compensated pulsed alternators) represents the most advanced and promising pulsed power supplies for electromagnetic hypervelocity launchers of railgun or coil gun types. Initially, the compulsators were developed for use in future weapon systems, especially in the area of advanced armor (layered, ceramic, etc.) penetration. One of the prototypes was designed at The University of Texas Center for Electromechanics (GEM-UT) (EMGSW Task C Compulsator, widely described in the literature) as a two-pole, rotating armature, aircore configuration with a peak power of 27 GW in a pulse of 6 millisecond duration. Another compulsator described in the open literature, built at GEM-UT, is contained in the Cannon Galiber System-a rapid fire railgun system capable of launching three five-round salves to 1.8 km/sec at a firing rate of 5 Hz. This paper considers the idea that new advances in compulsator technology must be based on a system approach and an integrated design in common analytical treatment, taking into account not only the compulsator as the power supply, but also the different stages of self-excitation and, moreover, the launcher (railgun, coilgun). The generalized machine theory and Kron's interconnection clause-linking the launcher stages with the power supply stages, together with a generalized goodness factor, could be the analytical tools needed for the integrated system approach.