Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site poseidon.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!poseidon!brent
From: brent@poseidon.UUCP (Brent P. Callaghan)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Storing electricity for railgun shots
Message-ID: <1392@poseidon.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Jan-86 09:56:29 EST
Article-I.D.: poseidon.1392
Posted: Mon Jan 20 09:56:29 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Jan-86 07:44:52 EST
References: <8601162257.AA16707@s1-b.arpa> <197@isieng.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft NJ
Lines: 17

>>One method (which is used in some fusion reactor experiments) is to use
>>a spinning rock. 
>
>The Bevatron at UC Berkeley does this, and has for years. A motor winds
>a flywheel up to a high speed.  Then (every minute or so) a bank of thyratrons
>lights up blue and  *all* the energy in the flywheel gets dumped into the 
>accelerator.  Great fun to watch and listen to.  Cheaper and more compact than
>capacitors holding the same energy.

I think this is called a "homopolar" generator.

-- 
				
Made in New Zealand -->		Brent Callaghan
				AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft, NJ
				{ihnp4|mtuxo|pegasus}!poseidon!brent
				(201) 576-3475