High Energy Propulsion

1. High Energy Propulsion Brice Cassenti University of Connecticut

2. High Energy Propulsion • Fusion • Annihilation • Photon

3. Fusion Energy • Binding energy • Reactions • Propulsion

4. Binding Energy

5. Some Fusion Reactions

6. Nuclear Reactions • DT Fusion Reaction • Uranium Fission • Lithium Fission

7. Fusion Reactions • The DT reaction • And Lithium fission reaction • Are equivalent to

8. Reaction Cross-Section

9. Reaction Kinetics • Rate - • Parameter - • Velocity depends on temperature • k is Boltzmann’s constant

10. Rate vs. Temperature http://www.google.com “nuclear fusion reactor pictures”

11. Thermonuclear Weapon

12. Magnetic Confinement Fusion PowerTokamak http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Tokamak_fields_lg.png

13. Magnetic Confinement Fusion PowerMirror http://www.google.com “magnetic mirror nuclear fusion reactor pictures”

14. Inertial Confinement Fusion Power

15. Fusion Rockets • Magnetic Mirror • End fields unequal: preferential exhaust • Tokamak • Power to expel high speed plasma • Inertial Confinement • Magnetic nozzles align pellet products

16. Orion

17. Daedalus StudyBritish Interplanetary Society From Nicolson “The Road to the Stars”

18. Daedalus http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/PAO/images/warp/warp44.gif

19. Medusa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MedusaNuclearPropulsionOperatingSequenceDrawing.png

20. Medusa Specific Impulse: 100,000-500,000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MedusaNuclearPropulsionOperatingSequenceDrawing.png

21. Matter-Antimatter Annihilation • Positron-Electron Annihilation

22. Antiproton-Uranium Nucleus Annihilation + p p n

23. Courtesy of G. Smith

24. Pellet Ignition

25. Tritium Fuel Considerations • Tritium is naturally radioactive • Beta decay • Half-life ~12 years • Tritium requires cryogenic storage • Lithium-6 is not radioactive • Lithium-6 does not require cryogenic storage

26. Pellet Construction

27. Hybrid Fusion-Fission Nuclear Pulse Propulsion • Use of Li6 • Reduces tritium handling problems • Decreases specific impulse • System can be developed in a two step process • Use fusion to boost the specific impulse of a pulse fission rocket • Evolve to a full hybrid system

28. Typical PelletGeometry • Core radius 0.05 mm • Fuel Radius 1.00 cm • Tungsten Shell Thickness 0.10 mm • Antiproton Beam Radius 0.10 mm • Uranium Hemisphere Radius 0.30 mm

29. Typical Pellet Performance • Antiproton Pulse 2x1013 for 30 ns • Maximum Field 24 MG • Pellet Mass 3.5 g • Specific Impulse • 600,000 s for 100% fusion • 200,000 s for 10% fusion • 3,000 s for contained fusion

30. Exotic Propulsion Alternatives

31. Sanger Electron-PositronAnnihilation Rocket By G. Matloff

32. Proton-Antiproton Reaction

33. Proton-Antiproton Reaction

34. Proton-Antiproton Reaction

35. Proton-Antiproton Reaction

36. Proton-Antiproton Reaction +

37. Proton-Antiproton Reaction +

38. Pion Rocket Isp: 10,000,000 sec By R. Forward

39. References • Kammash, T., (editor), Fusion Energy in Space Propulsion, Volume 167 Progress in Astronautice and Aeronautics, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, DC,, 1995. • Kammash, T, Fusion Reactor Physics, Ann Arbor Physics, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI, 1976. • Manheimer, W.M., An Introduction to Trapped-Particle Instability in Tokamaks, Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, DC, 1972. • Miley, G.K., Fusion Energy Conversion, American Nuclear Society and U.S. Energy research and Development Administration, Chicago, 1976. • Miyamoto, K., Plasma Physics for Nuclear Fusion, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1987. • Vedenov, A.A., Theory of Turbulent Plasma, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and Isreal Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem, 1966.