Abstract:In this paper composition of a non-ideal lithium-hydrogen-uranium plasma was studied using the Saha equation. The results obtained in this paper can be used both in theoretical calculations and in the implementation of various experimental projects related to non-ideal plasma, in particular, for studying the thermodynamic properties of nuclear fuel detected in gaseous plasma form in nuclear jet engines. The degree of ionization of lithium, hydrogen, and uranium atoms was determined as the ratio of the number of free electrons to the total number of nuclei in the plasma. The composition of the ionized plasma was calculated in the framework of the system of the chemical model of plasma. A system of nonlinear Saha equations is obtained, which was solved by numerical methods. The calculations were carried out in the Debye approximation, taking into account the screening effects. As a result, the dependence of the degree of ionization of lithium, hydrogen, and uranium atoms on concentration and temperature at different percentages of these atoms in the substance is presented: 10-85-5%, 9-90-1%, respectively. UDC Classification:533.9; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12955/cbup.v5.1093Keywords: plasma, composition, ionization. IntroductionThe rocket engine is a jet engine that does not use a medium such as air or water to work. Many types of rocket engines such as chemical, electrical, nuclear and others are being developed and tested. In nuclear missile engines, it seems possible to use the colossal energy that is derived from the decomposition of the nuclear "fuel" to heat the gas. The principle of operation of nuclear rocket engines is based on a nuclear reaction or radioactive decay that occurs when the released energy heats a working medium, which can be either reaction products or some other substance, such as hydrogen. By using nuclear rocket engines, it is possible to obtain specific impulse values that are much higher than those provided by chemical rocket engines. The working body is passed through a nuclear reactor in which the fission reaction of atomic nuclei (for example, uranium) occurs, and at the same time it heats the working body up. Nuclear missile engines do not need an oxidizing agent and therefore only one liquid can be used. As a working fluid, it is advisable to use substances that allow the engine to develop a large traction force. This condition is most fully satisfied by liquid hydrogen, followed by ammonia, hydrazine and water. The processes that release nuclear energy are divided into radioactive transformations, fission reactions of heavy nuclei, and the synthesis of light nuclei. Radioisotope transformations are realized in so-called isotope energy sources. Specific mass energy (the energy that can be extracted by a substance with a mass of 1 kg) of artificial radioactive isotopes is much higher than chemical fuels. Thus, for
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