R. V. Vasil’eva

Influence of electric and magnetic fields on the shock wave configuration at the diffuser inlet

The possibility is investigated of influencing the shock wave configuration in a xenon plasma flow at the inlet of a supersonic diffuser by applying electric and magnetic fields. Flow patterns resulting from interaction of the plasma with external fields in the entire diffusor volume and its different sections are compared. The patterns are obtained by the Schlieren method using two recording regimes: individual frames or a succession of frames. The study focuses on the normal shock wave formation process under strong MHD interaction over the whole diffuser volume. Basic factors affecting the plasma flow velocity in the diffuser under externally applied fields are compared, namely, the ponderomotive force and the Joule heating of the gas by the electric field, which decelerate the supersonic flow, and the heat removal to the external electric circuit producing the opposite effect. It has been shown that the external fields are most effective if applied to the inlet part of the diffuser, while the flow in the diffuser section, where there is a large density of dissipative structures, is not readily responsive to external factors. It is suggested that the measure of response can be estimated by the energy that goes to the shock wave formation as a result of the flow interaction with the diffuser walls.

The effect of MHD interactions on the input shock waves in a supersonic diffuser

The interaction with an external magnetic field modifies the variation of the shock wave configuration in a pure inert gas plasma at the entrance of a supersonic diffuser. The phenomenon was studied using an experimental setup based on a shock tube with a flat nozzle and the model supersonic diffuser. The experiments were conducted in krypton, for the shock wave Mach number in the shock tube M=7.8 and the Mach number at the nozzle exit M=4.2. The gasodynamic discontinuities and their structural variations induced by the magnetic induction changes were by visualized by the schlieren method and by photography of the intrinsic emission accompanying the process. Three regions of the MHD interaction affecting the shock wave configuration in the gas flow were revealed.

Characteristics of a magnetogasdynamic diffuser under different modes of electric current switching

This paper elaborates upon a previous investigation into the influence of external electric and magnetic fields on a flow through a supersonic diffuser. The aim of the present study is to correlate a change in the configuration of a shock wave emerging near the diffuser inlet at magnetohydrodynamic interaction with the amount of force and energy actions and with total pressure losses. For this purpose, the main parameters of the shock wave structure and the total pressure are measured at the diffuser outlet when the flow is subjected to magnetic and electric fields of various strengths at different routes of current passage. In the experiments, a shock tube with a supersonic nozzle is employed. The shock tube forms a flow behind the shock wave reflecting from the end of the tube, which terminates in the nozzle. The diffuser is located directly downstream of the nozzle. The investigation is carried out in xenon. The flow is subjected to external fields at the inlet of the diffuser. The shock wave structure is visualized by frame sweeping of Schlieren patterns of the flow. The total pressure is measured with a piezoelectric transducer located at the end of the channel. The results obtained make it possible to optimize the action on the flow in terms of power consumption and total pressure losses for a given design of the diffuser.

Investigation of a Hall MHD channel with an ionization-unstable plasma of inert gases

We investigate a promising scheme for using ionization-unstable plasmas of pure inert gases as the working medium for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) closed-cycle generator. Our experiments were carried out using a disc Hall MHD channel, with the flux of ionized gas created in a shock tube. Our working gas was xenon. In these experiments we measured the gas pressure, the flow velocity, the concentration and temperature of the electrons, the azimuthal current density, the distribution of potential in the channel, and the value of the near-electrode voltage drop. We recorded voltage-current characteristics for various values of magnetic field and load resistances. The results of these experiment showed that in an ionization-unstable plasma of inert gases without admixtures of alkali metal, the effective conductivity in the Hall channel increases significantly with increasing degree of criticality of the magnetic field, and the value of the maximum specific power extracted increases more rapidly than the specific power calculated by assuming “frozen” ionization.

Relaxation of the shock-wave configuration in a diffuser after termination of the action of magnetic and electric fields

The pulsed interaction of an ionized gas flow in a full-internal-compression diffuser with magnetic and electric fields has been experimentally studied. The interaction is determined by the shape of the electric current pulse between electrodes situated in the initial part of a hypersonic diffuser. It is established that, after termination of the current pulse, some characteristics of the shock wave front configuration in the gas flow exhibit relaxation with a significant delay to the unperturbed values.

Local effect of electric and magnetic fields on the position of an attached shock in a supersonic diffuser

Effective ways for controlling shock wave configurations by means of external actions are sought. One such way is a local effect of electric and magnetic fields. In this paper, the local effect of external fields is implemented by current localization in a limited region of a diffuser. The experiment is carried out in a diffuser providing the complete internal compression of the gas with a Mach number at the inlet M=4.3. As a working medium, a xenon plasma is used. The plasma flow is formed in a shock tube equipped with an accelerating nozzle. Two ways of current localization are tested. In the first one, the diffuser inlet is a short channel of Faraday generator type. In this case, the ponderomotive force basically decelerates or accelerates the flow depending on the direction of the electric field. In the second way, the current flows through a narrow near-wall region between adjacent electrodes. In this case, the ponderomotive force compresses or expands the gas. In both cases, it is shown that the angle of an attached shock due to MHD interaction can be both decreased and increased. The central problem with the MHD control of shock waves is near-electrode and near-wall phenomena.

Development of ionization in nonequilibrium inert-gas plasmas in magnetogasdynamic channels

Effects accompanying the interaction of a flow of preionized inert gas with a magnetic field are studied: selective electron heating, the development of nonequilibrium ionization, and the onset of the ionization instability. Local and average densities and temperatures of the electrons are measured and the average ionization rate is determined. It is found that the average electron density increases as the magnetic induction is raised, in both stable and ionization unstable plasmas. The difference in the rates at which ionization develops in these two states is revealed. The mechanism for the coupling between the average ionization rate in an ionization unstable plasma and the spatial-temporal characteristics of the plasma inhomogeneities is established.

Generation of a gas-discharge air plasma in a supersonic magnetohydrodynamic channel

A method for ionizing a supersonic air flow is developed to obtain a flow conductivity sufficient for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) interaction and generation of a magnetically induced current in a supersonic nozzle. The efficiencies of several (high-frequency, multiple-pulse high-voltage, and combined) methods for initiating a gas discharge used for ionizing air are compared. The supersonic air flow is ionized by a pulse-periodic high-voltage discharge producing an air plasma with a conductivity of up to 20 S/m. The experimentally obtained magnetically induced current of 0.1 A is smaller than the rated value owing to the Hall effect and the electrode voltage drop. The theoretical possibility of obtaining a magnetically induced current in a supersonic air flow is demonstrated; such currents can subsequently be used for controlling the flow in air inlets of aircraft.

Ionization kinetics in a supersonic xenon plasma flow entering electric field

We have studied xenon plasma moving in a supersonic diffuser in external electric and magnetic fields. The main physical parameters of the plasma (electron temperature and density) were determined using specially developed methods based on the theory of continuous optical emission from inert gas atoms. These experimental data are compared to the results of theoretical calculations. Based on an analysis of the results of spectroscopic measurements, a mechanism of plasma ionization is established which is capable of maintaining a high degree of ionization in the supersonic xenon plasma flow.

Local Plasma Parameters and Integral Characteristics of a Magnetogasdynamic Channel under Conditions of Ionization Instability

Results are presented from an experimental investigation of the onset of ionization instability in a disk-shaped Faraday magnetogasdynamic channel attached to a shock tube. The experiments were carried out in a pure inert gas (xenon) without alkaline additives. A relation is found between the integral plasma characteristics of a nonequilibrium magnetogasdynamic channel and the local parameters of a plasma that is unstable against the ionization instability. Mechanisms for amplifying perturbations and increasing the effective conductivity are revealed. It is concluded that these effects stem mainly from the features of three-body recombination in rare gases.