FIREBALL: Fusion Ignition Rocket Engine with Ballistic Ablative Lithium Liner

Details FIREBALL: Fusion Ignition Rocket Engine with Ballistic Ablative Lithium Liner FIREBALL: Fusion Ignition Rocket Engine with Ballistic Ablative Lithium Liner

Jan 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aipc..813..783m&link_type=abstract

SPACE TECH.& APPLIC.INT.FORUM-STAIF 2006: 10th Conf Thermophys Applic Microgravity; 23rd Symp Space Nucl Pwr & Propulsion; 4th C

Computer Science

Performance

Ion And Plasma Propulsion, Fueling, Heating And Ignition, Spaceborne And Space Research Instruments, Apparatus, And Components

Scientific paper

Thermo-nuclear fusion may be the key to a high Isp, high specific power propulsion system. In a fusion system energy is liberated within, and imparted directly to, the propellant. In principle, this can overcome the performance limitations inherent in systems that require thermal power transfer across a material boundary, and/or multiple power conversion stages (NTR, NEP). A thermo-nuclear propulsion system, which attempts to overcome some of the problems inherent in the Orion concept, is described. A dense FRC plasmoid is accelerated to high velocity (in excess of 500 km/s) and is compressed into a detached liner (pulse unit). The kinetic energy of the FRC is converted into thermal and magnetic-field energy, igniting a fusion burn in the magnetically confined plasma. The fusion reaction serves as an ignition source for the liner, which is made out of detonable materials. The energy liberated in this process is converted to thrust by a pusher-plate, as in the classic Orion concept. However with this concept, the vehicle does not carry a magazine of autonomous pulse-units. By accelerating a second, heavier FRC, which acts as a piston, right behind the first one, the velocity required to initiate the fusion burn is greatly reduced.

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