| Abstract: | Electron temperatures of nonequilibrium cesium seeded argon plasmas in a disk MHD generator installed in a blow-down facility are measured spectroscopically, and the generator performance is discussed in relation to the electron temperature. The temperature is decreased from ∼9000 K to ∼3000 K when the seed fraction is increased from 1 × 10−4 to 3 × 10−4. For the seed fraction of about 2 × 10−4 corresponding to the maximum power output, the temperature is found to be 4000–5000 K and the temperature fluctuation becomes minimal. For the seed fraction around 2 × 10−4, the electrical conductivity evaluated from the temperature is almost independent of the temperature. These facts suggest that the plasma is almost in the full seed ionization regime. Partially ionized argon and cesium plasmas are dominant at seed fractions below 1.3 × 10−4 and over 2.3 × 10−4, respectively, which degrades generator performance. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 120(1): 16–22, 1997 |
