DES (Distributed Energy Simulation): a tool for modeling railgun performance

Distributed Energy Simulation [DES] is a computer code designed to model an electromagnetic projectile launcher and power supply, commonly referred to as a railgun. The simulation was required to support the expansion of the Thunderbolt railgun project from the current breech fed implementation to a multiple power supply, distributed energy configuration. The main focus of the simulation was to determine the feed locations that would provide a maximum acceleration without exceeding operational limits of the barrel containment. A secondary focus of the simulation was to make railgun performance predictions that could be used to set attenuation values for railgun b-dot probes. A generalized set of equations was derived, that closely resembles the breech-fed configuration equations, due to the multiple current loops associated with the multiple power supply configuration. The generalized multiple power supply equations are a set of vector equations with a simple mathematical form that allow for an infinite number of power supplies. This technique provides flexibility for theoretical configurations. The simulation code was tested against experimental results from the breech fed configuration of the Thunderbolt railgun. The results confirm the usefulness of the code as a tool for predicting and modelling railgun performance