Engineering Considerations for the Self-Energizing Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) -Type Fusion Plasma Thruster

摘要

With a Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) device as the central concept, studies have beendone to determine its feasibility as a propulsion system for space. In this report, past work in the areas of propulsion system code development is discussed, as well as the recent work dealing with stability analysis and scaling laws in the pinch region. A modeling based on a tokamak-like m=O instability relating to the electron drift velocity wavelength is established. Magnetic field and kinetic temperature profiles are calculated based in certain assumptions about the plasma. It is found that the results of the pinch equilibrium profiles agree with the assumed current-squared scaling of kinetic temperature density, and that the total fusion power released from the pinch scales as: Pf Ip(5.4). This is found to correlate well with the reaction rate parameter data for the utilized fuel of deuterium and helium -3. The resulting profile shape for kinetic temperature agrees in form with the proposed modeling. Using the more detailed pinch calculations in the already existent DPF propulsion code, it is found that for optimal performance a current range of 30 to 40 (MA) is needed to obtain results found in earlier work.