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Diminiode thermionic conversion with 111-iridium electrodes

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7212401

Preliminary data indicating thermionic-conversion potentialities for a 111-iridium emitter and collector spaced 0.2 mm apart are presented. These results comprise output densities of current and of power as functions of voltage for three sets of emitter, collector, and reservoir temperatures: 1553, 944, 561 K; 1605, 898, 533 K; and 1656, 1028, 586 K. For the 1605 K evaluation, estimates produced work-function values of 2.22 eV for the emitter and 1.63 eV for the collector with a 2.0-eV barrier index (collector work function plus interelectrode voltage drop) corresponding to the maximum output of 5.5 W/sq cm at 0.24 volt. The current, voltage curve for the 1656 K 111-iridium diminiode yields a 6.2 W/sq cm maximum at 0.25 volt and is comparable with the 1700 K envelope for a diode with an etched-rhenium emitter and a 0.025-mm electrode gap made by TECO and evaluated by NASA.

Research Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, Ohio (USA). Lewis Research Center
OSTI ID:
7212401
Report Number(s):
N-76-33991; NASA-TM-X-73492; E-8888
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English