Plasma heat pump and heat engine

Abstract

A model system where cold charged particles are locally confined in a volume V P within a warm plasma of volume V ͑V P Ӷ V͒ is studied. Charged particles mutually repel via a shielded repulsion which is like an effective pressure, i.e., electrostatic pressure P E . The law of thermodynamics involving P E and an equation of state for P E are obtained. It is shown that the expansion/ compression of electrostatic fields associated with charged particles is a new mechanism that converts mechanical work into plasma heat and vice versa. Two applications of this theory are, first we propose a pumping device which heats plasmas by an adiabatic/isothermal compression of fields. Heating power ranging from a few hundred watts to a few kilowatts is possible with the present day technology. Second, we discuss the feasibility of constructing an electrostatic heat engine which converts plasma heat into mechanical work via plasma electric fields. Effects of P E are shown to be observable in colloidal solutions.

Anomalous dust temperature in dusty plasma experiments

“…ψ = ψ + ψ c . Now, in the ideal limit, ψ c → 0, the last term is not required, while the second term is zero because ρ ψ d 3 r = ψ ρ d 3 r = 0, therefore [19,20]. The entropy of ideal dust particles is given by…”

“…The cloud and the plasma are considered to be stable (without DA waves or any other type of non-thermal fluctuations). This system is similar to the one considered earlier [19,20] except that now dust particles are also assumed to have finite temperature.…”

“…Electrostatic fields within dust clouds in dusty plasma experiments fluctuate due to equilibrium thermal fluctuations in the background plasma. Dust particles acquire random motion in these fluctuating fields causing dust electrostatic (ES) pressure P E [15][16][17][18][19] and corresponding temperature which is much bigger than the dust kinetic pressure and temperature. This is a simple thermodynamic effect related to thermal electric field fluctuations and the following estimate shows that it is enough to account for the high dust temperature.…”

Nanoscaled Metamaterial as an Advanced Heat Pump and Cooling Media

“…This may be achieved by using the discharge between the electrodes to neutralize the space charge with ions; similar attempts were done to use plasma in the heat pump. [ 51 ] Besides, an additional control over the discharge and current between the electrodes may be achieved by the use of magnetic fi eld which can effi ciently sustain the discharge at relatively low applied voltages. [ 52 ] Among others, the low-current radio-frequency [ 53 ] and dielectric barrier discharges [ 54 ] can be used to create stable low-density plasma in interelectrode gap.…”

Evolution of nonlinear waves in compressing plasma

“…Specifically, waves might be amplified through compression 4 and then damp resonantly on a particular species in a switchlike manner at a predetermined moment. 5 It was also suggested that concentrating energy in a compressing plasma in the form of waves can increase the plasma effective compressibility, 6 and recent work 7 has even described the basic thermodynamic cycles whereby the interplay between plasma wave energy and thermal energy could be utilized to construct a plasma heat pump and heat engine. Yet, these studies were focused primarily on linear waves, whereas practical applications may require higher wave amplitudes.…”