Acceleration of the Flow and Increase in the Enthalpy in an Ionized Gas Source by an Electric Field in the Constant Mach Number Regime

Abstract

The possibility of passing from some characteristic physical parameters (stagnation enthalpy, temperature, pressure, density, etc.) to other preset parameters is investigated within the problem of control over a radial source (vortex) in the regime of the Mach number maintained constant by energy input and an external force (radial electric field in the given case). The variations of the total enthalpy upon the variation of the energy- and force-similarity parameters are demonstrated in the case when the force per unit mass and per unit volume is specified for identical convection current and conduction current, as well as for a conducting current prevailing over the convection current, and vice versa. In the limit of a negligibly small convection current or a conduction current, a transition to analytic solutions is demonstrated for the case of a purely energy action and a purely force action. Analytic dependences of the velocity increment (kinetic energy), temperature, and total enthalpy on the intensities of the external force and energy input, on the Mach number, and on the length of the zone of action are obtained.