High Temperature Gas and Magnetogasdynamics

Abstract

Finally, in this and next chapters, we come to the discussion of some of the special gas-dynamic problems in high temperature gases. Unfortunately, it is necessary to conduct our investigation under highly restricted conditions to be able to solve some of the simplest problems. While, in general, a gas mixture containing electrons, ions, and neutrals (gas plasma) is considered for such an investigation, the general results are, however, also applicable to non-ionized or dissociated gases. For the purpose of our analysis, the following quantities are assumed to be known: (1) the temperatures T _e and T _h of the electron and the heavy particles, respectively; (2) the total kinetic pressure of the gas mixture p and the partial pressure p _j of the individual species; (3) the mass-averaged gas velocity V; (4) the kind of gas; and (5) the magnitude and direction of any externally applied electromagnetic fields. Furthermore, the analysis is based on the following quite reasonable assumptions: (1) the electric current is carried mainly by electrons; and (2) a quasi-neutrality condition exists in general.