Plasmadynamics and ionization kinetics of thermionic energy conversion

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6065617

Lawless, Jr, J L

To reduce the plasma arc-drop, thermionic energy conversion is studied with both analytical and numerical tools. Simplifications are made in both the plasmadynamic and ionization-recombination theories. These are applied to a scheme proposed presently using laser irradiation to enhance the ionization kinetics of the thermionic plasma and thereby reduce the arc-drop. It is also predicted that it is possible to generate the required laser light from a thermionic-type Cesium plasma. The analysis takes advantage of theoretical simplifications derived for the ionization-recombination kinetics. It is shown that large laser ionization enhancements can occur and that collisional Cesium recombination lasing is expected. To complement the kinetic theory, a numerical method is developed to solve the thermionic plasma dynamics. The effects of the complete system of electron-atom inelastic collisions on the ionization-recombination problem are shown to reduce to a system nearly as simple as the well-known one-quantum approximation. To combine the above analysis of ionization-recombination kinetics with the plasma dynamics of thermionic conversion, a finite difference computer program is constructed. Using the above developments, a proposal to improve thermionic converter performance using laser radiation is considered. In this proposed scheme, laser radiation impinging on a thermionic plasma enhances the ionization process thereby raising the plasma density and reducing the plasma arc-drop. A source for such radiation may possibly be a Cesium recombination laser operating in a different thermionic converter. The possibility of this being an energy efficient process is discussed.

• OSTI ID: 6065617
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300401* -- Thermionic Converters-- Design & Development
ALKALI METALS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
CESIUM
COMPUTER CODES
DESIGN
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
IONIZATION
KINETICS
LASER RADIATION
METALS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PERFORMANCE
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
RECOMBINATION
THERMIONIC CONVERTERS