CESIUM PLASMA STUDIES FOR THERMIONIC ENERGY CONVERSION
Abstract
The processes of thermalization of fast electrons injected into a plasma through a plasma sheath are investigated because such injection and thermalization are believed to occur in the plasma of the low voltage arc cesium plasma thermionic energy converter. The resistivity of highly ionized plasmas is investigated because it accounts for an important part of the internal voltage drop in thermionic energy converters, particularly when the internal resistive voltage drop is minimized by minimizing the effect of electron-neutral collisions. Unavoidable Coulomb collisions are then predominant, and the resultant plasma resistivity approaches that of a fully ionized plasma. Investigations on the probability of neutralization of cesium ions on hot tantalum are reported here as a by-product obtained in using the cesium plasma apparatus developed for the other experiments conducted in the course of this work.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0408915
Entities
People
- J. Y. Wada
- R. C. Knechtli
Organizations
- HRL Laboratories