Means for and method of preventing flow of hall currents in electrical equipment

Claim 1

IN A MHD DEVICE HAVING A DUCT FOR CONVEYING AN ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE GAS THROUGH A MAGNETIC FIELD, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ELECTRODE MEANS EXPOSED TO SAID GAS, ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM AND CARRIED BY SAID DUCT, SAID ELECTRODE MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY TO THE MAGNETIC FLUX OF SAID MAGNETIC FIELD AND THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GAS; AND (B) AN OUTPUT LEAD ELECTRICALLY COUPLED RESPECTIVELY TO EACH SAID ELECTRODE MEANS, EACH SAID ELECTRODE MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RESISTIVE PORTIONS ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO A SINGLE ONE OF SAID OUTPUTS LEADS AND HAVING DIFFERENT VALUES OF RESISTANCE, THE RESISTANCE OF SAID PORTIONS VARYING SUBSTANTIALLY PROGRESSIVELY TO PROVIDE AT EACH SAID ELECTRODE MEANS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CURRENT FLOW PATTERN BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ELECTRODES AND SAID GAS.