Magnetohydrodynamic a.c. generator

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ELECTRICITY, COMPRISING A STATOR ASSEMBLY HAVING CONCENTRIC INNER AND OUTER CORE MEMBERS OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL SPACED TO FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR AND LINEARLY EXTENDING FLUID FLOW PASSAGEWAY THEREBETWEEN AND INCLUDING DISTRIBUTED POLYPHASE-CONNECTED ELECTRICAL WINDING MEANS FOR DEVELOPING A POLYPHASE MAGNETIC FIELD HAVING FLUX LINES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY ACROSS SAID PASSAGEWAY AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SINUSOIDAL FIELD INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION TRAVELLING SUBSTANTIALLY LINEARLY IN ONE AXIAL DIRECTION ALONG SAID PASSAGEWAY AT A PREDETERMINED VELOCITY, MEANS FORCING HIGH-TEMPERATURE IONIZED CONDUCTIVE GASEOUS FLUID THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AT A VELOCITY HIGHER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED VELOCITY, REFRACTORY INSULATING MATERIAL LINING SAID PASSAGEWAY AND FULLY SEPARATING THE HIGH-TEMPERATURE IONIZED FLUID IN SAID PASSAGEWAY FROM SAID STATOR ASSEMBLY, SAID ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR PATHS TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF SAID PASSAGEWAY FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENTS INDUCED IN SAID IONIZED GASEOUS FLUID TO CIRCULATE ANGULARLY ABOUT SAID AXIS IN SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL RELATION TO THE RADIAL FLUX LINES, SAID ELECTRICAL WINDING MEANS BEING DISPOSED TO HAVE POLYPHASE ELECTRICAL CURRENTS INDUCED THEREIN BY THE MAGNETIC FIELDS PRODUCED BY SAID CURRENTS INDUCED IN SAID IONIZED GASEOUS FLUID, MEANS HAVING ELECTRICAL REACTANCE CHARACTERISITICS CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID WINDING MEANS AND CONTROLLING POWER OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID WINDING MEANS, SAID STATOR ASSEMBLY FURTHER HAVING COOLANT PASSAGES THERETHROUGH INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY FOR CONDUCTING COOLANT FLUID THERETHROUGH AN PRESERVING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID CORE MEMBERS, WINDINGS AND REFRACTORY MATERIAL AT LESS THAN THE HIGH TEMPERATURES OF SAID IONIZED GASEOUS FLUID, AND MEANS DELIVERING FLUID AT LESS THAN SAID HIGH TEMPERATURES TO SAID COOLANT PASSAGES, WHEREBY POLYPHASE ALTERNATING CURRENT ELECTRICAL SIGNALS PRODUCED BY SAID WINDING MEANS PROVIDES SELF-EXCITATION FOR DEVELOPING SAID FIELD AND OVERCOMES THE POWER LOSSES IN SAID STATOR ASSEMBLY AND THE REACTANCE MEANS AND PROVIDE NET ELECTRICAL OUTPUT FOR SUPPLY TO A LOAD.