Identification of the factors determining thermionic energy converter efficiency

A method of using the experimental current–voltage characteristics to perform diagnostics on the parameters of a thermionic energy converter in the arc regime without setting up special experiments and perturbing actual processes was developed. The current–voltage characteristics measured in a wide range of the collector temperatures make it possible to determine the main physical parameters responsible for the efficiency of the energy conversion process: the electron temperature in the plasma near the collector, the heat of evaporation of the electrons from the emitter, the heat of condensation of the electrons on the collector, and the effective work function of the collector.