Suppose we built a valve inside out...
Cathode on the outside, coated on the inside.
Metal cathode might even be its own envelope.
Maybe inductively heated by a coil wrapped
around, or solar oven, or propane burner...
Would our cathode need to run as hot if the
emissive surface area was greater?
Plate in the middle. A solid metal rod, perhaps
even a heatpipe... Does it need zirconium or
we can figure some other way of gettering
inside a metal envelope?
Any historical precedent, or is this unworkable
for some reason I should already be aware of?
Cathode on the outside, coated on the inside.
Metal cathode might even be its own envelope.
Maybe inductively heated by a coil wrapped
around, or solar oven, or propane burner...
Would our cathode need to run as hot if the
emissive surface area was greater?
Plate in the middle. A solid metal rod, perhaps
even a heatpipe... Does it need zirconium or
we can figure some other way of gettering
inside a metal envelope?
Any historical precedent, or is this unworkable
for some reason I should already be aware of?
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