Arcs in Cesium Seeded Noble Gases Resulting from a Magnetically Induced Electric Field

摘要

The filaments which form the substructure in the moving discharges in noble gas magnetohydrodynamic generators are considered as free arcs. The spatial distributions of the important plasma quantities are calculated by solving the balance equations. Solutions for cesium seeded argon, helium, xenon, and pure argon are obtained. The solutions yield characteristic radial dimensions which agree with experimental values. The effects of variations of important arc parameters are discussed for the case of cesium seeded argon. The effects of parameter variations can be explained by a simplified expression for the radial dimension of the arc. Deviation from local thermodynamic equilibrium is only significant in the outer region of the arc and has practically no influence on the arc properties.