Evaluation of candidate magnetohydrodynamic materials for the U-02 Phase III test

As part of a cooperative U.S.--U.S.S.R. program, electrode and insulator materials tested at the Westinghouse Electrode Systems Test Facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were evaluated. From this evaluation materials will be selected for use in the third phase of tests being conducted in the U-02 magnetohydrodynamics test facility in the Soviet Union. Electrode and insulator materials were examined with both an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The cathodes were found to behave differently from the anodes; most notably, the cathodes showed greater potassium interaction. The lanthanum chromite-based electrodes (excluding those fabricated by plasma-spraying) are recommended for testing in the U-02 Phase III test. Hotpressed, fused-grained MgO and sintered MgAl2O4 are recommended as insulator materials. The electrode attachment techniques used in the Westinghouse Tests were inadequate and need to be modified for the U-02 test