Theoretical examination of the growth and attenuation of acoustic and entropy waves in ideal Faraday generators

The results of a theoretical investigation of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and acoustic and entropy waves in a partially ionized gas are presented. The simulation uses for the first time actual property curve fits for a coal-combustion plasma rather than the perfect gas relationships that were used in previous studies. The working fluid employed was a combustion plasma from Illinois #6 coal. This allowed for a variable average molecular weight which can be a function of both pressure and temperature. The theoretical analysis also involved the use of a better numerical technique. In the present study the solution is not restricted to constant wave number approximation. The results, presented in the form of reflection and transmission coefficients, are analyzed. The results demonstrate the successful development of a user-friendly computer program that can be used to evaluate the axial linear time response of various types of MHD generator channels including Faraday