Transient Thermal Characteristics of Coilgun Drive Winding under Continuous Pulse

This paper investigates the transient thermal characteristics of the drive winding in a synchronous induction coilgun under continuous pulse operation. An electromagnetic-thermal coupled model is developed in COMSOL and validated through locked-rotor tests. Key factors, including winding structure, pulse interval, and crowbar branch parameters, are analyzed for their impact on thermal accumulation. Results show that, the multi-physics coupling model accurately characterizes the spatiotemporal distribution and dissipation of winding’s transient thermal. Increasing turns and conductor cross-sectional area significantly reduces winding’s peak temperature rise and mitigates heat accumulation. Longer pulse internals effectively slow the temperature rise rate caused by heat accumulation. Moderate crowbar resistance improves cooling, whereas excessive crowbar resistance induces current oscillation and impairs thermal management. This study clarifies multi-parameter influence patterns on winding’s temperature rise, offering important theoretical basis and engineering guidelines for the thermal safety design, lifespan assessment, and the multi-objective optimization of the induction coilgun.