When we looked at the data for MHD generator test 27 all we saw were a file full of zeros. That was our first run with a composite motor. Was it the non conductive coating that the motor deposited on the electrodes? Did the blown out fragments of copper short across the electrodes? Is the difference in motor chemistry such that the current is lower than we can detect? One thing we know when faced with too many unknowns, it’s time to get methodical.
For a start we’ve going to test two small motors, one black power and one composite on the same unit. We’re going to look at electrode voltage instead of current to put it in a better range for the data sampling.
Saturday we made a new set of copper electrode plates, cleaned up the mini-MHD generator and pressed it back into service. We got the first firing, the small black powder motor, completed.
