Electromagnetic launcher systems discussion and simulation

Electromagnetic launching system has been discussed as an elligible alternative to the chemical propulsion systems, in Space transportation. The projectile reaches to its orbital speed with an energy transfered externally to the projectile all the flyway through the launcher. The chemical systems should carry fuel in addition to useful load in flight for reaching orbital velocity. Chemical propulsion systems with useful load are time consuming and require some extra cost. These facts makes the EMFS comparatively more advanantagous and cost efficient than chemical propulsion systems. In the literature survey, the history of the technological development of electromagnetic system were rewieved. The amount of transported mass, acceleration, velocity, launcher length and the type of electromagnetic launching system have been major concerns of technological developments. Two different mini scale, single and multistage electromagnetic launchers were designed, manufactured and sucessfull experiments were performed. Energy is supplied by city draft and transformed to 24V by means of a transformer and a direct current bridge circuit to four stage launcher test setup. A multistage electromagnetic launcher formation contains the capacitors for storing energy. Capacitors transfers this energy through a switching inductor to mass driver. The mass driver synchronously being energized by a voltage through an oscillating coil-capacitor circuit. Using energy storage capacitance, binary counters, transistors and inductors, mass driver starts to move through the coils with the thrust created by mutual inductance without any contact to coils.A qualitative explanation of how coilgun works have been presented by derived algebraic expressions. Induction, magnetic area, inductive current, capacitance calculations are made by using geometrical design parameters such as coil radius, web thickness, height, applied voltage and single stage efficiency. Applied voltage plays an important role in determination of launcher muzzle velocity. Then thrust force, acceleration, launcher length and number of coils were calculated. This thesis provides usefull indicators in the predictions of performance behaviour and illustrates the mutual dependence of parameters in electromagneticly launched system. Several multistage electromagnetic launcher system simulation scenarios for terrestial and lunar systems have been performed to investigate the interdependence and changes of performance parameters. Space vehicles are planned to be launched into the Space with a circular orbit speed of its altidue and to transport of commodities such as fuel and oxygen to reqiured destination. Cost performance of electromagnetic launching system and chemical propulsion fuels at terrestial launchers has been calculated and compared in reaching to 80 km circular orbit velocity. The preliminary assesments of cost-versus-benefit of electrical energy consumption in electromagnetic launch system and amount of conventional liquid propellants used for the change of the orbits in Space were also presented.