Theory of the initial stage of low pressure arc discharge with thermionic cathode

Author

Babanin, V.I. ; Ender, A.Ya.

Author_Institution

Ioffe Phys.-Tech. Inst., Acad. of Sci., Leningrad, USSR

fYear

1989

fDate

6-11 Aug 1989

Firstpage

1143

Abstract

A quantitative kinetic theory of the initial stage of Knudsen discharge development that allows macroscopic characteristics to be related to the cross section of elementary processes is proposed. A quantitative description of the initial discharge stage at low pressures requires solving of a system of kinetic equations for the charge particle distribution function, taking into account volume ion generation and the Poisson equation for the self-consistent electric field potential in the gap. Effective numerical-analytical methods have been developed for solving these equations under steady-state conditions as well as for calculating the transient process that results from applying an impulse voltage between electrodes

Keywords

arcs (electric); thermionic cathodes; Knudsen discharge development; Poisson equation; charge particle distribution function; impulse voltage; low pressure arc discharge; macroscopic characteristics; quantitative kinetic theory; self-consistent electric field potential; steady-state conditions; thermionic cathode; transient process; volume ion generation; Arc discharges; Cathodes; Current density; Diodes; Electrodes; Electrons; Ionization; Poisson equations; Steady-state; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, 1989. IECEC-89., Proceedings of the 24th Intersociety

Conference_Location

Washington, DC

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IECEC.1989.74612

Filename

74612