An experimental studies with disk MHD channels on argon plazma

The most interesting works carried out over the past few years in the field of MHD generating electric power are the ones studying disk MHD channels. The results published give a hope to overcome one of the MHD generator essential disadvantages - relatively low effectiveness of converting heat power into electric one. In some works performed by different authors and at different plants the coefficients of energy conversion achieving 20% have been obtained and there is a hint of the future possible increase of up to 40%. In the majority of experimental studies non-equilibrium ionized inertial gases (Ar, He) with alkali metal (Cs, K) were used as a working medium, the operating temperature being 1800-2000 K. The present paper is dedicated to an experimental test rig-with-a-disk-MHD-channel development for operating on thermally ionized Ar with the temperature of up to 9000 K and pressure 10 up to 10 Pa. For heating a working medium an electric arc in a special plazmotron is used. As the experiments on linear MHD channels have shown, along the whole working area the plasma is non-equilibrium with a substantial break off of an electron temperature providing conductivity of more then 100 Sm/m. The aim of creationmore » this test rig is in simulating the processes of the working medium flow and electric energy generation in disk MHD channels. An important research element is calculation techniques debugging and acquiring experience of development and carrying out disk MHD generator studies for the following experimental full-scale MHD plants with a disk channel to be created.« less