This study develops and validates a thermodynamic model for a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) pneumatic launch system, evaluating its potential as an environmentally friendly and efficient energy conversion technology alternative to conventional working fluids such as compressed air and nitrogen. Utilizing real-gas thermophysical properties from the NIST database, the model incorporates mass and energy conservation principles to simulate the transient launch process. Under the assumption of a pre-attained initial state, comparative analyses demonstrate that supercritical CO2 offers significantly higher specific internal energy, resulting in up to 20% greater payload capacity and improved exit velocities under identical initial conditions. A detailed parametric investigation examines the effects of key structural parameters—including the initial volume of the low-pressure chamber, launch tube diameter, valve diameter, and valve opening time—on launch performance, efficiency, and safety. Results indicate that while a smaller low-pressure chamber volume and larger launch tube diameter enhance launch efficiency and velocity, they must be balanced against structural safety limits to avoid excessive acceleration. Valve diameter expansion improves mass transfer and acceleration, yet diminishing returns are observed beyond 0.10 m. The study highlights supercritical CO2 as a promising high-energy-density working fluid that eliminates toxic exhaust at the launch site. These findings provide practical guidelines for system design optimization, offering a technical pathway toward compact, low-emission pneumatic launch equipment, provided that the upstream energy for CO2 conditioning is efficiently managed.
Liao et al. (Thu,) studied this question.