Optimum power generation from a moving plasma

Abstract

The possibility exists of directly using the plasma, resulting from a controlled fusion reaction, to generate electricity by electromagnetic induction. Two special cases of a more general problem are considered here: (1)the extraction of optimum power from the steady one-dimensional flow of an incompressible inviscid plasma across a uniform transverse magnetic field in an externally loaded channel of arbitrarily varying cross-section, and (2) the extraction of optimum power from the steady one-dimensional flow of a compressible inviscid plasma across a uniform transverse magnetic field in a channel of uniform cross-section. In each case, the magnitude of the required external loading at optimum power operation is determined as a function of the parameters which characterize the hydromagnetic interaction. Also determined are the magnitudes of the terminal voltate, power, fluid mechanical to electrical conversion efficiency, and the variation of the fluid dynamical variables along the channel at optimum power.