Operation of an MHD converter requires an electrically conducting gas. A helium gas “seeded” with 1.0 mole percent cesium, as shown in Fig. P14.96, is used where the cesium is partly ionized (C_s ⇌ Cs⁺ + e⁻) by heating the mixture to 1800 K, 1 MPa, in a nuclear reactor to provide free electrons. No helium is ionized in this process, so the mixture entering the converter consists of He, C_s, C_s⁺, and e⁻. Determine the mole fraction of electrons in the mixture at 1800 K, where ln K = 1.402 for the cesium ionization reaction described.

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Electrical power out T = 1800 K P = 1 MPa Nuclear MHD 99% He reactor converter 1% Cs Mixture (He, Cs, Cst, e-) FIGURE P14.96