Electro-Magnetic Catapults?

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title Newest to Oldest

Pages: 1 2 3 NEXT

french stratege RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults? 2/16/2004 5:59:58 AM

"Steam Catapults will be out of the question due to the proposed Gas/Electric propulsion" To fit an independant boiler for catapult would not be a big deal. "Does anyone have any information on whether Electro-magnetic cat's exist/work/are reliable" Yes technology is mature: in US, France or Germany Because it is mainly a derivative of rail gun technologies and electic linear propulsion system or particles accelerator(LINAC) for components. link www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/ resource/jan04/0104ncarr.html www.ga.com/atg/emals/emals.html

Quote Reply

Jack Tar RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults? 2/16/2004 7:49:40 AM

HMMmm, interesting. Thanks for that FS. I'd still be fairly wary about the technology until it has been proven to launch aircraft successfully, and was reliable.(Definately looks the way to go though) 'To fit an independant boiler for catapult would not be a big deal.' True, you could fit an independant boiler, but it WOULD be a big deal. Boilers are big, heavy, inefficient, and take a fair amount of manpower to operate. (But at least it's an option if EMAL proves troubelsome?)

Quote Reply

northernguy RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults?...french stratege.. 2/16/2004 11:56:18 PM

F.S. couldn't the salt/fresh water converter evaporater be rigged as dual purpose steam source for the cat. I mean, the converter is already there. It would just have to be redesigned and possibly moved. Not trivial but not very difficult. Northernguy

Quote Reply

gf0012-aus RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults?...NG 2/17/2004 12:07:16 AM

Northernguy, that would be a major exercise and a non-trivial one at that. There would have to be considerable reworkings of the reservoirs made, and I doubt whether there would be insufficient energy able to be stored and restored for a launch.

Quote Reply

Jack Tar RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults?...NG 2/17/2004 2:07:31 AM

NG: Yeah, I'd already considered that, and even if the Evap's were twice the size of those on T42's(ones I'm familiar with, big pieces of kit) I would imagine they are still nowhere near producing enough energy consistantly.(GF0012-aus strikes again ;) )

Quote Reply

gf0012-aus Electro-Magnetic Catapults?...Jack Tar 2/17/2004 2:13:37 AM

Well its better than being told that I'm a tosser.. ;)

Quote Reply

Jack Tar RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults?...Jack Tar 2/17/2004 2:45:29 AM

Lol , or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. ;)

Quote Reply

Jack Tar RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults? 2/17/2004 8:32:57 AM

OK, so for arguments sake let's say that EMAL (EMCAT or whatever else you want to call it) proves to be capable of launching various aircraft types reliably, surely there would be a large magnetic field generated? Wouldn't this cause havoc with sensors, weapon systems (and any ferrous tools left lying around hehe,)or have they looked at a way of dampening/shielding this?

Quote Reply

DragonReborn RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults? 2/17/2004 9:37:23 AM

If EMC's are going to be considered for the New Anglo-French Carrier Project, it will be an issue that the French will have to primarilty worry about, as though the UK wants to have the option in the future of installing catapults, it will be using STVOL F-35's. The UK need only explore the feasibilty and then wait for the tech to mature. The French will however need to build catapults to launch their Rafaels The French will be the first nation to have the kudos of operating a EMC, if this is the route taken, however they will also be the ones that will have to iron out all of the creases in operating it. Lets hope that in this scenario it is not as plagued as the CDG!

Quote Reply

northernguy RE:Electro-Magnetic Catapults?...french stratege.. 2/17/2004 5:52:12 PM

I didn't make myself clear when talking about redesigning a evap/condenser to double as an energy source for a cat. I didn't mean redesign an existing water converter. I meant redesign the function. Basically, what I was wondering about is not adding a steam plant but replacing an existing low output design with a much more powerful system. You already have a low power system requirement. Would it be bigger than one on a type 42? I should hope so. It's going to bigger anyway. It is a carrier after all. Would it make sense to convert an existing system to a higher output system? Of course not. But if you are still at the design stage you can adjust your plans accordingly. If you go with some sort of electro-mechanical you still have lots of heavy and large kit. It just doesn't involve steam (or fresh water). The energy demand of electric has to come from somewhere. That somewhere has to generate lots and lots of power. The resources used to create that power are underutilised when the electric cat isn't in use. It has no other value. I'm aware that the electric power will come from existing sources on the ship but those sources will have to be made much larger to deliver the power and still meet their other demands. I guess what I don't like about electric is that its expensive, bulky, new and unreliable, and free from any concern about these qualities. What I like about steam is it's cheap, about as bulky, well tried and reliable, but unfortunately such qualities are discounted. Saying its expensive and hard to do with existing practice is ignoring that electric is also expensive and hard to do with existing practice. Even more so because there really is no existing practice built around the concept. I can see the Americans doing some experimental stuff but for France to bet one of its carriers on such a new technology is surprising. It's not like France has got any carriers to spare while they work out the kinks. When I looked at variations of electric cats a couple of years ago they were possessed of all the negative attributes that I have mentioned earlier. In the intervening time things may have changed dramatically but somehow I don't think so. Northernguy

Quote Reply

1 2 3 NEXT