AN ADVANCED THERMIONIC THEORY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE THERMIONIC ENERGY CONVERSION DIODES

摘要

Methods for improving the performance of thermionic converters have been studied and successfully applied. However, puzzling anomalies and inaccurate predictions have impeded the development of high performance thermionic energy converters. This study shows that a revision to the basic approach is required to properly account for electron reflection effects in thermionic energy conversion diodes. A revised equation to correct this deficiency is presented here for vacuum diode energy converters. The proposed method may help resolve anomalies and improve predictive accuracy.