MAGNETICALLY INDUCED NONEQUILIBRIUM ELECTRON TEMPERATURES.
Abstract
For operation of an MHD generator at low temperatures, various methods have been proposed to enhance the ionization and hence the conductivity. The report considers the scheme in which the electrons present in an MHD generator are accelerated by the magnetic field itself (to a 'magnetically included nonequilibrium temperature') preparatory to producing additional electrons by impact ionization. A model for the flow of a partially ionized gas in an MHD generator that combines extreme mathematical simplicity with at least qualitative physical realism is used. The derivations show that the electron temperatures attained cannot exceed the temperature that the gas had before part of its kinetic energy was converted into motion along the channel; that is, the magnetically induced nonequilibrium electron temperature cannot exceed the stagnation temperature of the gas, which is equal to the temperature of the gas at rest before being expanded through a nozzle. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 23, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0645932
Entities
People
- Herbert B. Rosenstock
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory