A Study of Miniaturization of Traveling Wave Direct Energy Converter for Loading on a Spacecraft

Abstract

Traveling wave direct energy converter (TWDEC) was proposed as an efficient energy recovery device for fast protons produced by D-³He fusion reaction. The application of TWDEC to fusion propulsion system was also studied, and its significant subject was miniaturization of the device. In TWDEC, there is a trade-off between device size and efficiency, and an employment of a decelerator of constant deceleration scheme is promising to realize miniaturization. The paper experimentally examines one of the working characteristics of the constant deceleration scheme by using a relative phase control method called active decelerator. The results of the experiment and corresponding numerical orbit calculation are consistent with the theory of the constant deceleration scheme.