Measurements of Electrical and Thermal Conductivity of Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Argon at High Temperatures

The electrical and thermal conductivities of hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon have been measured up to 14 000°K for pressures between 0.5 and 2.0 atm using a wall-stabilized electric arc as a plasma source. Generally satisfactory agreement is noted between theory and experiment for the electrical conductivity. Equally good agreement is found for the thermal conductivity for nitrogen and argon when the energy transfer by vacuum ultraviolet radiation is included in the energy transport calculations. For hydrogen a difference between theory and experiment of as much as a factor of 2 is observed at the lower temperatures; this difference is dependent on arc current and may be the result of nonequilibrium effects.