AN EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE WALL-STABILIZED, TRANSPIRATION-COOLED DC ELECTRIC ARC
Abstract
A wall-stabilized, transpiration-cooled arc device was built which consisted of a cathode chamber containing a 0.25-in. diameter tungsten cathode, 12 half-inch thick wall segments containing porous graphite segments through which argon at about 1.1 atm was injected into the 0.25-in. diameter arc channel, and a hollow, cylindrical water-cooled copper anode which served as the plasma exhaust. Cooling water to the cathode, the wall sections, and the anode provided information concerning the power losses to the device components. The argon flows to the cathode chamber and each wall segment were individually controlled and monitored by specially built coiled capillary flowmeters. The device proved extremely stable, and after 30 hours of operation, electrode wear was not detectable. For arc powers in the range of 8 to 20 kw DC, and mass flows on the order of 22 to 29 lb/hr, gas enthalpies from 600 to 1,400 Btu/lb were obtained at a device efficiency of 50%.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0419023
Entities
People
- Michael F. Baran
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology