A PORTABLE, PULSED MHD POWER SUPPLY FOR GEOPHYSICAL MAPPING

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO APPLY TO GEOPHYSICAL MAPPING A NOVEL POWER SOURCE CONSISTING OF A MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC (MHD) GENERATOR DRIVEN BY A CHEMICALLY HEATED, NONEQUILIBRIUM GAS PLASMA. THIS APPLICATION REQUIRES 1 TO 3 MWE POWER PULSES OF 10- TO 30-SEC DURATION REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES PER HOUR. A COMBUSTOR DIRECTLY HEATSTHE MHD WORKING GAS TO CONDITIONS AT WHICH VERY HIGH POWER DENSITIES ARE ACHIEVED. AS A RESULT, A COMPLETE 1 TO 3 MWE POWER SYSTEM FITS ON A SMALL TRUCK, WHILE A COMPARABLE DIESEL-DRIVEN GENERATOR SYSTEM REQUIRES A FLATBED TRUCK TRAILER. IN PREVIOUS RESEARCH, TESTS ESTABLISHED THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS CONCEPT USING CHEMICAL FUEL FORMULATIONSSUITABLE FOR USE FOR ONLY A FRACTION OF A SECOND. IN THE PHASE I EFFORT, AN ELECTRICAL HEATER IS BEING USED TO ACHIEVE BETWEEN 0.5 TO MORE THAN 1 MWE OF NONEQUILIBRIUM MHD POWER GENERATION IN AN EXISTING MHD SYSTEM FOR PERIODS OF SEVERAL TENTHS OF A SECOND. THE MHD GENERATOR CHANNEL ISONLY 1 FT LONG. IN ADDITION, A PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF A 1 TO3 MWE PULSED POWER SYSTEM CAPABLE OF MULTISECOND OPERATION IS BEING MADE. IN PHASE II, THIS SYSTEM IS TO BE TESTED USING A CHEMICAL FUEL SUITABLE FOR MULTISECOND OPERATION.