The prospects for an airbreathing repetitively pulsed, LSC‐wave thruster are assessed from the perspective of both thrust production and radiation heat transfer rates into the vehicle undersurface. Pulsed LSC wave thrusters are characterized by high plasma temperatures (e.g., 11,000 K), moderate overpressures (a function of laser intensity), and subsonic LSC wave propagation velocities. The axisymmetric Lightcraft engine configuration examined in this study has a flat underbody impulsive surface of radius 1.25 m. Energy is supplied to the LSC wave by an annular laser beam converging uniformly from the edges of the disk (i.e., reflected inward towards the axis of symmetry from secondary optics positioned around the entire disc circumference). The LSC wave propagates radially outward toward the edge of the disc. At some point the beam is extinguished, and a new LSC wave is initiated at the disk center. The process is repeated at a frequency that produces the desired thrust, and continued until maximum temperatures are exceeded. Results indicate that thrust levels in the range of 104 to 4×105 N are indeed feasible — i.e., sufficient to sustain a 1 tonne Lightcraft in hover, or accelerate it vertically at 40 g. Depending on the desired thrust and LSC wave geometry, viable PRFs can range from ∼100 Hz up to 750 Hz (or more), pulse energies from 0.01 to 4 MJ, and pulse durations from 10 to 350 ms. Momentum coupling coefficients range from 100 to 1000 N/MW, varying as a function of laser intensity incident upon the LSC wave.


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    Title :

    Analytical Investigation of an Airbreathing, Repetitively Pulsed LSC‐Wave Thruster: Part 1


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    BEAMED ENERGY PROPULSION: Fourth International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion ; 2005 ; Nara (Japan)


    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2006-05-02


    Size :

    14 pages





    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



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