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EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF TANTALUM, TUNGSTEN, RHENIUM, AND IRIDIUM IN PLASMA DIODES

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4838655· OSTI ID:4838655
Experimental determinations of the ionic and electronic emission characteristics of Ta, W, Re, and lr cathodes in vapor thermionic converters are compared. It is shown that Ta provides superior thermal ionization qualities at high pressure compared with W, Re, and Lr. High electronic current densities may be obtained from Cs on Re and Cs on Ir at much lower Cs vapor pressures than from Ta or W. An over-all efficiency of 19% was achieved with a Re cathode at 2440 deg K. (auth)
Research Organization:
California. Univ., Livermore. Lawrence Radiation Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
NSA Number:
NSA-16-021138
OSTI ID:
4838655
Report Number(s):
UCRL-6809
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English