Kinetic-Theory Description of Electron Heat Transfer in a Plasma

摘要

Electron heat flux in a fully ionized gas between two parallel boundaries, separated by a distance L, is studied. Two full-range moment methods with the assumption of a two-sided distribution function are employed to analyze the relation between the electron heat flux and the plasma collisionality parameter L/lambda/sub ei/, both with and without electron-electron collisions (lambda/sub ei/ is the electron-ion collision mean-free-path). The electron heat flux compared to free convective flux and the continuum heat flux is determined as a function of L/lambda/sub ei/, over the entire range from free flow to continuum regimes. (ERA citation 05:026684)