Boundary Layer Profile Measurements in the Electrode Wall of a Combustion Driven MHD Channel

摘要

Profiles of temperature and electron number density were measured in the electrode wall boundary layer of the Stanford M-2 MHD channel with applied electric field. Results were obtained for two flow conditions, and several electrical conditions. Calculations of profiles using a boundary layer computer program were made. Measured temperature profiles with no current showed some discrepancies with the theory, but generally the agreement between theory and experiment was adequate. The Joule heating of the plasma caused a significant increase in the measured temperature profiles. Good agreement was obtained between calculated and measured profiles that included the effect of Joule heating. Some electron number density non-equilibrium near the wall was apparently observed, although the amount of non-equilibrium was less than predicted. At high local current densities, measurements show the electron number density profile to be relatively flat near the wall at current densities where the anode voltage drop appears to indicate that a current constriction is occurring. (ERA citation 04:003763)