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U.S. Department of Energy
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RESEARCH ON THERMIONIC CONVERTERS. Final Report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4789329
Thermionic conversion involves the generation of electricity from thermal energy utilizing the phenomenon of thermtonic emisston of electrons, and requires no moving parts. Types of converters which were the subjects of wide study include vacuum converters which have now been developed to the product design stage for cathode temperatures in the range of 1100 to 1150 deg C, anode temperatures 600 to 700 deg C and electrical power outputs of 0.2 watt/sq cm (min.) at an efficiency of 2.5%; vapor converters which have been developed for solar space power with an efficiency of 15% at a cathode temperature of 1800 deg C; and crossed-field converters which utilize a combination of electric and magnetic fields to direct the electron flow from cathode to anode in the converter. This particular line of development did not appear to be fruitful, and further work was not recommended on the crossed-field approach. (auth)
Research Organization:
General Electric Co. Research Lab., Schenectady, N.Y.
NSA Number:
NSA-16-012207
OSTI ID:
4789329
Report Number(s):
AFCRL-430; AD-259880
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English