EFFECT OF MICROWAVE RADIATION ON THE IONIZED GAS BA STRONG NORMAL SHOCK WAVE,
Abstract
An analytical study of the interaction between microwaves and a fully-ionized gas behind a normal shock wave is presented. The governing differential equations derived by a quasi-steady analysis are used to obtain the non-dimensional parameters and integrated to yield the first integrals of the momentum and energy equations. A modified Prandtl relation is derived from which the final equilibrium state of the ionized gas can be found. Ionization is seen to increase the final equilibrium density, while microwave heating tends to reduce its value. It is further shown that thermal choking of the ionized gas occurs at a critical microwave power level, which is a function of the Mach number ahead of the shock wave, the reflection coef ficient of the microwave, and the ionization potential expressed in terms of the neutral gas temperature ahead of the shock wave. At higher power levels the shock wave moves upstream allowing additional microwave heating of the ionized gas. A formula is given for the determi nation of this equivalent higher Mach number. At a sufficiently high power level (but slightly below the critical value), the mean gas tempera ture is shown to attain a peak value higher than its final equilibrium value. This peak temperature actually represents the upper bound of the mean gas temperature for a given initial Mach number. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0417861
Entities
People
- K.t. Yen
Organizations
- General Electric