Transcript FUSION PROPULSION

FUSION
PROPULSION
INTRODUCTION

A new concept for an interplanetary
and interstellar mission engine
 Fusion reaction is used to produce
thrust to propel the rockets
 Fusion rockets
WHAT IS FUSION?
 Fusion occurs
when two nuclei
combine to from a
new nucleus
 Fusion fuels are mainly Deuterium and
Tritium
 Deuterium contains one proton and one
neutron
 Tritium has one proton and two neutrons
 Deuterium-Tritium Fusion
 Plasma

Plasma is made up of atoms

it is also called ionized gas
 Movement of charged particles in a plasma
Absence of magnetic field
Presence of magnetic field
CONDITIONS SHOULD BE CREATED FOR
THE FUSION TO OCCUR
 The two nuclei should be bring in
contact
 High temperature
 About 100 million °C
 Created by using Laser beams,
microwaves
 High pressure
 Pressure squeezes the hydrogen
atoms together
 Using intense magnetic fields,
powerful lasers or ion beams
MANETIC CONFINEMENT FUSION
 Electricity & neutral particle beams
are used to heat the stream of gas
 Plasma is squeezed by the super
conducting magnets
 Optimum for power generation
MANETIC CONFINEMENT FUSION
PROPULSION
 Reactions takes place in a magnetic bottle
 Products exhausted through a magnetic
nozzle
 Two primary problems
 Prohibitively large weight
 Difficult to create a magnetic bottle
with magnetic rocket exhaust nozzle
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION
PROPULSION
 Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF)
 Uses laser beam or ion beams to heat &
squeeze the deuterium and tritium pellet
 Pellet is bombarded on all sides by
strong pulses from lasers or particle
accelerators
 Inertia of fuel holds it together long
enough for most of it to undergo fusion
 Beams explosively detonates the outer
layer
 Sending a shock wave in to the center
which is powerful enough for achieving
high enough density at center to cause
some fusion reactions
 This heats surrounding fuel creating a
chain reaction that burns the fuel load
MUON-CATALYSED FUSION
PROPULSION
Muon-Catalysed Fusion
A negative muon is an elementary
particle similar to an electron
Muons replaces the electrons and allow
their negative charge to effectively shield
the positively charged nuclei from each
other
D-T Molecule
Muon catalyzed D-T
Fusion
 Eliminates electric repulsion force &
fusion take place
 Fusion energy ejects the muon& goes of
to another nucleus
 thus catalyses many reactions till it
decays
 Muon has to be manufactured on the
space craft
 If unable to catalyze many reactions
the system is inefficient
CONCLUSION
 This concept increases the mission
flexibility, enabling new science
missions and greater flexibility in
reaching & exploring distant planets
 It reduces the time for the journey in
space mission by 50% compared to the
chemical rocket