The world´s highest isentropic efficiency of a shock-tube driven disk CCMHD generator

Closed cycle magnetohydrodynamics (CCMHD) power generation experiments using a shock-tube driven disk generator have been conducted to achieve high performance. Despite of a small-scale generator having a generating volume of 4.1 liter, outstanding performance: an isentropic efficiency of 63 % and an enthalpy extraction ratio of 30.8 % is achieved at a stagnation temperature of 2250 K and a stagnation pressure of 0.14 MPa, where an applied magnetic flux density is 3.0 T. Furthermore, a maximum electrical power output of 1.23 MW and a maximum power density of 297 MW/m/sup 3/ are obtained. The following facts contribute to a world´s highest performance of the MHD power generation: a small area ratio of the disk generator, an employment of a cesium seeded helium gas, an introduction of an inlet swirl, and a production of a homogeneous plasma.