CHAPTER 7 SUMMARY 7.1 Mass Driver System Performance Results of research on critical components (SCR's, capacitors, and buckets) and critical issues (total system efficiency, system complexity, and failure modes) will be presented. The block diagram for closed loop mass driver is shown in Fig. 7.1. The overall MDRE system efficiency (see appendix K) is: The closed loop mass driver system efficiency is shown in Fig. 7.2 for various values of accelerator, decelerator, and energy storage/condi- tioning efficiencies and loaded bucket to payload mass ratio. In the limit where the total system efficiency becomes: which is the same for an open loop (accelerator only) mass driver. In this analysis the efficiency of the return power lines was assumed to be one. From these curves with subsystem efficiencies of 85 to 90% and a loaded bucket/payload mass ratio of 2 (value used in 77 Ames Summer Study) gives total system efficiencies of 50-60%. This does not include any additional power required for housekeeping functions or bucket cooling.
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