Editing Thermionic converter (section)

== Definition ==
From a physical electronic viewpoint, thermionic energy conversion is the direct production of [[electric power]] from [[heat]] by thermionic electron emission.  From a [[thermodynamic]] viewpoint,<ref>{{cite book |last=Rasor |first=N. S. |contribution=Thermionic Energy Converter |year=1983 |title=Fundamentals Handbook of Electrical and Computer Engineering |editor-last=Chang |editor-first=Sheldon S. L. |volume=II |page=668 |place=New York |publisher=Wiley |isbn=0-471-86213-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/fundamentalshand0000unse |url-access=registration}}</ref> it is the use of electron vapor as the working fluid in a power-producing cycle.  A thermionic converter consists of a hot emitter electrode from which electrons are vaporized by thermionic emission and a colder collector electrode into which they are condensed after conduction through the inter-electrode [[plasma (physics)|plasma]].  The resulting current, typically several [[ampere]]s per square centimeter of emitter surface, delivers electrical power to a load at a typical potential difference of 0.5&ndash;1 volt and [[thermal efficiency]] of 5&ndash;20%, depending on the emitter temperature (1500&ndash;2000 K) and mode of operation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hatsopoulos |first1=G. N. |last2=Gyftopoulos |first2=E. P. |title=Thermionic Energy Conversion |place=Cambridge, MA |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |year=1974 |volume=I |isbn=0-262-08059-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/Thermionic_00_Hats}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Baksht |first=F. G.|author2=G. A. Dyvzhev |author3=A. M. Martsinovskiy |author4=B. Y. Moyzhes |author5=G. Y. Dikus |author6=E. B. Sonin |author7=V. G. Yuryev |title=Thermionic converters and low-temperature plasma (trans. from Termoemissionnye prebrazovateli i nizkotemperaturnaia plazma) |page=490 |year=1973}}</ref>