Analysis of the efficiency of MHD cycle supported by nanosecond pulsed discharge pre-ionization

Abstract

Abstract A numerical analysis of plasma generation by a nanosecond pulsed discharge in a strong magnetic field was performed. A 2D model of the plasma formation and decay in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) channel has been elaborated. A comparison with experimental results demonstrates good agreement between calculated and measured plasma distribution in the channel. Preliminary analysis of the efficiency of the MHD-generator based on the nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge flow pre-ionization shows that the ratio of the power required to maintain ionization in the flow to the power extracted from the flow in MHD process is ∼3% for an ideal Faraday MHD generator with segmented electrodes with BY ∼ 5 T and supersonic flow speed uZ ∼ 1600 m s−1. Such a high energy efficiency of the generator allows us to consider this concept of the generator as promising for energy generation and flow control.