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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

INVESTIGATION OF NON-THERMAL IONIZATION FOR MHD ENERGY CONVERSION

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4118799
A theoretical and applied research program is being directed toward prolonging the lifetime of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) energy converters by reducing the necessary operating temperatures to the range 1000 to 2000 deg K. The process of interest is the use of the magnetically induced electric field in the MHD generator for electrical breakdown of appropriate working fluids. Work was directed toward the use of alkali metals for Rankine (vapor) cycles (although the results are applicable to Brayton cycles with certain nuclear reactors) and alkali metal seeded noble gases for studying the basic parameters of the breakdown. (auth)
Research Organization:
General Electric Co. Missile and Space Div., Valley Forge Space Technology Center, King of Prussia, Penna.
NSA Number:
NSA-18-005977
OSTI ID:
4118799
Report Number(s):
RTD-TDR-63-4071(Pt.I); AD-4239
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English