FIRST SUMMARY REPORT OF BASIC RESEARCH IN THERMIONIC ENERGY CONVERSION PROCESSES

Technical Report · Wed Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4786147

Rasor, N.S. ed.

Incentives for achieving a thermionic nuclear power plant for naval applications are briefly reviewed, and the associated thermionic energy conversion processes chosen for basic study are qualified and summarized. The results and status of these basic investigations are reported under the following topics: emission limitations on thermionic energy conversion; correlation of electron, ion, and atom emission energies; potential of an ion in a discrete dipole layer; statistical mechanical treatment of surface ionization; an experimental search for an elemental surface exhibiting low electron work function; Cs- O- H- Mo system interactions and transfer of molybdenum within a thermionic diode;, analysis of the space charge mode in the cesium thermionic diode; analysis of the plasma mode in the cesium thermi-onic diode; plasma mode in a thermionic diode with detailed energy balance; plasma resistivity and collective interactions; instabilities in high current discharges in cesium vapor; and influence of ion motions on nonlinear plasma oscillations.

• Research Organization: Atomics International. Div. of North American Aviation, Inc., Canoga Park, Calif.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-013681
• OSTI ID: 4786147
• Report Number(s): AI-6799
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ATOMS
CATHODES
CESIUM
CONVERSION
CURRENTS
DIODES
DIPOLES
ELECTRIC CHARGES
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRON WORK FUNCTION
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTS
EMISSION
ENERGY
HYDROGEN
INTERACTIONS
IONS
LAYERS
MECHANICS
MOLYBDENUM
MOTION
OSCILLATIONS
OXYGEN
PHYSICS
PLASMA
POWER
SHIPS
SPACE CHARGE
STABILITY
STATISTICS
SURFACES
THERMIONICS
TRANSPORT
VAPORS