Investigation of the ionization of helium-cesium mixture with turbulent flow

The ionization of a helium-cesium mixture in turbulent flow is investigated. A high level of ionization of the Cesium seed in the mixture is achieved by an ac discharge, instead of the thermal equilibrium combustion ionization, thus eliminating the reduction of performance of a MHD generator due to the flow of combustion products through the generator. Calculations are performed, using two particle balance equations for the electrons and excited state in the plasma and an electron energy equation. The effect of varying the mixture velocity and Cesium seed fraction on the discharge parameters is examined. Results show that for an electron density range of 1019-1021 m-3 the electron temperature ranges between 2300-3100 K, the electric field 4500-7500(V/m), the current density 104-106 (A/m2), and electrical conductivity 20-140 (mhos/m)