Plasma heat pump and heat engine

Abstract

A model system where cold charged particles are locally confined in a volume V_P within a warm plasma of volume V(V_P ⪡ V) is studied. Charged particles mutually repel via a shielded repulsion which is like an effective pressure, i.e., electrostatic pressure P_E. The law of thermodynamics involving P_E and an equation of state for P_E are obtained. It is shown that the expansion/compression of electrostatic fields associated with charged particles is a new mechanism that converts mechanical work into plasma heat and vice versa. Two applications of this theory are, first we propose a pumping device which heats plasmas by an adiabatic/isothermal compression of fields. Heating power ranging from a few hundred watts to a few kilowatts is possible with the present day technology. Second, we discuss the feasibility of constructing an electrostatic heat engine which converts plasma heat into mechanical work via plasma electric fields. Effects of P_E are shown to be observable in colloidal solutions.