Acceptable behavior of electrical arc discharges inside high-power arc heaters usually requires the introduction of externally applied magnetic fields near the arc terminations. The strength and spatial distribution of these fields are discussed for a typical configuration. The effects of the Lorentz force produced by these fields on the arc discharge near the electrodes are evaluated in terms of azimuthal, axial, and radial components of the force. In general, there are only two possible states of the Lorentz force interaction with the arc, one of which enhances the gas swirl and the arc attachment, the other opposes the gas swirl and the arc attachment. Simple rules are given for ensuring the proper polarity of the magnetic field to obtain the desired result. An analysis of the proper scaling of the magnetic field strength in conjunction with geometric scaling of the arc heater shows that the magnetic field strength is only weakly dependent on scale. Nomenclature B = magnetic field strength, G D = diameter, cm D* = throat diameter, cm F = force, N H = enthalpy, MJ/kg 7 = current, A i = unit vector J = current density, A/cm 2 L = characteristic length, cm P -pressure, MPa r = radial coordinate, radius, cm s = general length coordinate, cm t -time, s z = axial coordinate, cm j3 = scaling factor 0 = azimuthal coordinate, rad fju = gas viscosity, kg/m/s p = gas density, kg/m 3 cr = electrical conductivity, mho/m v = gas velocity, cm/s Subscripts a -arc B = bulk or mass average b = bore L = Lorentz r = radial component z = axial component 0 = reservoir or stagnation value 6 = azimuthal component
An arc heater development program has been undertaken to develop a large, high-pressure, highpower arc heater capability. A large, state-of-the-art segmented arc heater (H3) has operated successfully and is scheduled to be fully operational at chamber pressures up to 100 atm with a total power of 60 MW in 1996. The H3 arc heater is a 50% geometric scale-up of the existing HI segmented arc heater and is designed to operate at 2.25 times the power of HI. Additionally, an extensive analytical capability to assist in the design and development of segmented arc heaters has been developed. Available modeling techniques are reviewed, current modeling efforts are discussed, and areas needing additional effort are identified. Scaling laws/performance correlations have been used extensively and first-generation performance codes have been available for some 20 years. The basic components of a three-dimensional arc heater code have been developed, extending a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code by incorporating electromagnetic effects and a multidimensional radiation model. A near-electrode model has been developed for the interface between the flowing air and the solid electrode surface. Water-tunnel vortexbreakdown studies have been carried out to aid in understanding vortex behavior. Additional modeling work required to improve our understanding of arc heater phenomenology include continued development of the three-dimensional code, extension of the near-electrode model to include nonequilibrium effects, and improved modeling for arc path prediction.
Nomenclaturea -speed of sound B = magnetic field c = speed of light E = electric field H Q = total enthalpy / = total current J = current density PO = pitot pressure Re = Reynolds number Re m = magnetic Reynolds number T = temperature v = velocity 8 = divergence of magnetic field fj, = viscosity coefficient /A O = vacuum permeability p = density a = electrical conductivity cr sb = Stephan-Boltzmann constant Subscripts m = magnetic component r -radiation component v = viscous component oo = freestream conditions E
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