A T-LAYER MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC ALTERNATING CURRENT GENERATOR

IT IS PLANNED TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOP A T-LAYER MAGNETOHYRODYNAMIC (MHD) ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) GENERATOR. THE T-LAYER MHD CONCEPT IS AN INNOVATIVE IDEA FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATION TO MHD POWER. THE VIABILITY OF THE T-LAYER MHD POWER PROCESS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN THE LABORATORY. T-LAYER MHD IS A PROCESS WHEREIN A HIGH TEMPERATURE PLASMA LAYER, A T-LAYER, IS PRODUCED IN THE FLOW STREAM OF AN MHD DEVICE USING EXTERNAL EXCITATION, e.g., ELECTRIC DISCHARGE. THE T-LAYER FORMED BY THE HIGH ENERGY EXCITATION IS A FULLY IONIZED PLASMA WITH EXTREMELY HIGH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY. IN THE T-LAYER MHD GENERATOR, THE T-LAYER PASSES THROUGH THE GENERATOR PRODUCING USEFUL EXTERNAL ELECTRIC POWER ACCORDING TO STANDARD MHD POWER PRINCIPLES. THE GENERATOR HAS ADVANTAGES OVER THE COMBUSTION DRIVENMHD GENERATOR THAT MAKE IT AN ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATIVE POWER SYSTEM. FOR EXAMPLE, IT HAS CONTINUOUS ELECTRODE CONSTRUCTION,AND SIMPLE POWER CONSOLIDATION AND ISOLATION NEEDS; IN ADDITION, IT CAN OPERATE WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE BULK FLUID WITHOUT IONIZATION SEED. THE T-LAYER MHD GENERATOR CAN PRODUCE AN AC ELECTRICAL OUTPUT SIGNAL. IT HAS HIGH POWER DENSITY AND CAN BE MADECOMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT. PHASE I WILL DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A T-LAYER MHD AC GENERATORAS A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT. IT WILL ANALYZE THE PHYSICS OF THIS DEVICE AND ARRIVE AT A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR A POWER SYSTEM. IT WILL ALSO DETERMINE THE BEST NEAR TERM APPLICATION AND MARKET FOR THE AC GENERATOR AS A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT. PHASE I WILL DEFINE AN EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS AND LABORATORY FOR PHASE II IN WHICH PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE TESTS CAN BE CONDUCTED.