Experimental characterization of thermionic surface cooling in thermionic discharge

Abstract: In this work, the thermionic cooling effect during thermionic discharges with parallel plate electrodes at 1 Torr is investigated. Time-resolved observation of electron emission and surface temperature is realized in addition to the typical steady state characterization. Surface cooling by the electron emission, initiated by plasma ignition, is directly captured at its onset and an estimated cooling capacity of 1.6 \pm 0.2 MW/m^2 is observed. The present work provides experimental evidence of considerable surface cooling achieved by thermionic cooling. This result indicates that thermionic cooling can be a promising thermal protection method at elevated temperatures, such as those encountered by hypersonic vehicle leading edges in flight.