New approaches for the reduction of plasma arc drop in second-generation thermionic converters. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Mar 31 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6778286· OSTI ID:6778286

Hatziprokopiou, M E; Shaw, D T

Investigations of ion generation and recombination mechanisms in the cesium plasma as they pertain to the advanced mode thermionic energy converter are described. The changes in plasma density and temperature within the converter have been studied under the influence of several promising auxiliary ionization candidate sources. Three novel approaches of external cesium ion generation have been investigated in some detail, namely vibrationally excited N/sub 2/ as an energy source of ionization of Cs ions in a DC discharge, microwave power as a means of resonant sustenance of the cesium plasma, and ion generation in a pulse N/sub 2/-Cs mixture. The experimental data obtained and discussed show that all three techniques - i.e. the non-LTE high-voltage pulsing, the energy transfer from vibrationally excited diatomic gases, and the external pumping with a microwave power - have considerable promise as schemes in auxiliary ion generation applicable to the advanced thermionic energy converter.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York, Buffalo (USA). Lab. for Power and Environmental Studies
• DOE Contract Number: AS02-79ET15421
• OSTI ID: 6778286
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/15421-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300401* -- Thermionic Converters-- Design & Development
ALKALI METALS
CESIUM
COLLISIONS
DE-EXCITATION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITED STATES
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
IONIZATION
METALS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
PLASMA
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA HEATING
RADIATIONS
RECOMBINATION
SPECTROSCOPY
THERMIONIC CONVERTERS
VIBRATIONAL STATES
VOLTAGE DROP