Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Shaw, D. T..
The possibility of using N2 as a gas additive for the development of thermionic topping generators was investigated. The experiment is described and observations are discussed. The potential of applying microwave power in the interelectrode spacing of the converter as an ion generation source was also assessed.
In the search for auxiliary sources of ionization for the advanced thermionic converter plasma, as required for terrestial applications, the use of externally applied microwave power is considered. The present work is part of the advanced model thermionic converter development research currently performed at the laboratory for Power and Environmental Studies at SUNY Buffalo. Microwave power in the frequency range 1-3 GHz is used to externally pump a thermionic converter and the results are compared to the theoretical model proposed by Lam (1976) in describing the thermionic converter plasma. The electron temperature of the plasma is found to be raised considerably by effective microwave heating which results in the disappearance of the double sheath ordinarily erected in front of the emitter. The experimental data agree satisfactorily with theory in the low current region.
Ion generation and recombination mechanisms in the cesium plasma as they pertain to the advanced mode thermionic energy converter were studied. The decay of highly ionized cesium plasma was studied in the near afterglow to examine the recombination processes. Very low recombination in such a plasma may prove to be of considerable importance in practical converters. The approaches of external cesium generation were vibrationally excited nitrogen as an energy source of ionization of cesium ion, and microwave power as a means of resonant sustenance of the cesium plasma. Experimental data obtained so far 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 resonant cavity - can produce plasmas with their densities significantly higher than the Richardson density. The implication of these findings as related to Lam's theory is discussed.
This work reports ion generation in a cesium thermionic converter as part of advanced-model thermionic converter development research. A microwave with frequency in the range between 1-2 GHz is used to externally pump a thermionic converter as part of our effort in the verification of Lam's theory. It is found that the motive peak as predicted in the theory disappears whenever microwave power is used to excite the cesium plasma of the converter. The electron temperature is effectively heated by the microwave and the experimental data agrees with theory in the low-power output region.
The possibility of using molecular nitrogen gas additive as an energy storage which in turn produces cesium ionization in advanced thermionic converter is first described theoretically. Experimental data confirmed for the first time such cesium ionization by vibrationally excited molecular nitrogen. Based on these experimental observations, the use of this scheme for the verification of validity of the recent Lam's theory and its application for the development of an advanced flowing thermionic converter are discussed.
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Modification of mathematical approach to general body problem for investigating direct shock wave problem for bodies with spherical nose