Generation and evolution of current carrying plasma clot in external electric and magnetic field

At the present time the problem of the generation and dynamics of plasma clots in the low temperature plasma flow has attracted considerable interest. The special generated plasma clot can be used for the aerodynamic drag force decreasing, it can be employed as a projectile to destroy tile obstacle and it can be used for the generation of the electrical energy in the external magnetic field. The submitted paper presents results of the experimental and numerical research of the plasma clot generation by means of the capacitor discharge and analysis of the plasma clot evolution in tile supersonic channel in presence of the external magnetic field. It was found that the pressure wave created during the generation stage propagates ahead of the clot. Furthermore the clot moving through the channel takes the shape with the extended wall tails due to its deformation in the nonuniform velocity field. The experiments have been carried out in Eindhoven Shock Tunnel Facility. The experimental facility consists of a shock tube, a channel with a supersonic nozzle and a tank. The products of CO and O2 combustion in the detonation wave which is seeded with Cs are used as a working body. The plasma clot is formed by means of the 10 mks capacitor discharge with energy about 120 J near the throat after the shock-wave startup of the nozzle. The clot transporting through the channel by the gas flow in tile presence of the external magnetic field of 3.3 T generates the electrical current which is measured on the galvanically separated electrode pairs. The streak photography in the middle of the channel is obtained in experiments also. The physical processes studied are simulated by proper numerical models. The modified one-dimensional time-dependent numerical model of the gasdynamic and electrodynamic processes in the experimental facility with the shock tube and the numerical solution of the approximate two-dimensional time-dependent model have been used in numerical analysis