China has built a hypersonic generator that could power unimaginable weapons

• The conversion of gas into plasma creates an intense electrical current to power powerful hypersonic weapons.
• Chinese researchers built a hypersonic generator that could power military lasers, railguns and microwave weapons.
• The relatively compact nature of the hypersonic generator opens up the range of possible uses.

Chinese scientists say an impressive explosion in a shock tunnel can turn hot gas into the most powerful hypersonic generator a military has ever seen — powerful enough to charge military lasers, railguns, microwave weapons and more.

As reported by the South China tomorrow posta new peer-reviewed paper in the Chinese Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics explains how the hypersonic generator converts a detonation in a shock tunnel into enough electrical current to power hypersonic weapons of the future.

The Chinese scientists managed to use a controlled detonation to turn hot gas into a plasma filled with racing ions, which turned into electricity. Using shock waves that accelerated the compressed argon gas to 14 times the speed of sound, the charged ion-filled plasma then flowed through magnetohydrodynamic generators to produce up to 212 kilowatts of electrical power while consuming 0.26 gallons of gas. That’s enough power for a power boost that isn’t currently available in a compact system.

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“It has a large capacity and high efficiency,” write the scientists about the SCMP. “Intermediate energy storage components are not required. The energy can be transferred directly to the load without a high-power switch. And it’s quick to start up.” The generator also has no rotating parts, increasing efficiency and ease of use.

Because some of the largest weapons under development require a gigawatt of input power, the researchers say they can produce that with 177 cubic feet of hypersonic plasma (that’s smaller than most transporters).

China is not yet ready to deploy the new system. There are many logistical hurdles to overcome, from how to transport a device that requires controlled detonation to how to handle the gas needed for a second charge along the way. However, if the next iteration of science offers automated technology reloading, China’s hypersonic weapons have just received a colossal boost in power.

Tim Newcomb is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. He covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure and more for a variety of publications including Popular Mechanics. His favorite interviews included sit-downs with Roger Federer in Switzerland, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and Tinker Hatfield in Portland.

Source: www.popularmechanics.com