Simulation of an Electromagnetic Launcher With a Superconducting Inductive Pulsed Power Supply

This paper discusses the application of superconducting inductive pulsed power supplies in electromagnetic launchers by presenting a dynamic model. In this model, the load of the pulsed power supply is a rail-type electromagnetic launcher. This is different from many dynamic models in the literature, where the load is a resistor. A prototype launcher and a superconducting inductive pulsed power supply were designed. Finite-element analysis was carried out to obtain parameters for the launcher, and analytic-numerical methods were used to obtain parameters for the power supply. The simulation results indicate that the superconducting inductive pulsed power supply is suitable for driving the launcher, provided that the voltage across the primary winding of the power supply is high enough. The results also show that there exists an optimal number of turns in the secondary winding to maximize the launch efficiency.