Electric Discharge Stabilization by a Highly Turbulent Flow.
Abstract
The work investigates an electric discharge operating in a turbulent flowing gas. Electric-discharge convection lasers are driven by such a discharge and any limit on discharge power will be a limit on the laser output. It has been observed that turbulence tends to allow more power to be applied but the exact mechanisms involved are not fully understood. To examine this phenomenon an air flow apparatus was fabricated that allowed control of flow rate, turbulence level, and discharge power. Turbulence data were taken with a hot-wire connected to a spectral analyzer. Discharge power consumption and breakdown voltage were recorded as a function of flow rate and turbulence spectrum. Results showed that with even a small flow rate discharge, current was raised by about a factor of two, with turbulence by about a factor of four; and with a large flow rate (100 m/sec) and strong turbulence, by about a factor of 100. Power at this last condition was raised by a factor of 200 over the no-flow case. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0764468
Entities
People
- Robert Edward Nelson
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School