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  • A High Efficiency Plasma Motor

    Paper ID

    IAF-60-22

    author

    • W H Bostick
    • H K Byfield

    company

    Stevens Institute of Technology,

    country

    U.S.A.

    year

    1960

    abstract

    A pulsed coaxial crater gun which generates a plasma from the end of a small diameter metallic wire is capable of converting 32% of the energy in a stored capacitor to kinetic energy of the plasma as measured by a calorimeter. The motor requires no switch, only a small trigger. Its efficiency is constant down to low energy inputs and the gun is operated successful over energy inputs from 3 joules to about 100 joules per pulse. Specific impulses are in the region of 2000 seconds, measurements of speed and shape of the plasma have been obtained with a Kerr cell. Plasma speed has also been measured with a calendulum (combination ballistic pendulum and calorimeter) and with a velocity profile measuring instrument.