The Ringer as an Inductive Power Source for a Reluctance Accelerator

This paper proposed the use of a ringer, a self-switched inductive storage system, for applications involving reluctance accelerators, a kind of electromagnetic launcher, and compatible with applications where portability is a requirement. There will be shown three different useful approximations for the analysis of the ringer, employed as a power source for a reluctance accelerator. First, it described the equations governing the que behavior of an ideal unloaded ringer, and then the equations for the ringer with an uncoupled inductive load, and ultimately a Lagrangian model for the ringer as an inductive power source for a reluctance accelerator, capable to make predictions about the currents through the circuits and the exit speed of the projectile for a given firing. The accuracy of the predictions made with the third approximation, the Lagrangian model, was tested experimentally.