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How did Bela Karlovitz contribute to the development of MHD generators?

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magnetohydrodynamic power generator Comparison of the operating principles of (A) a turbogenerator and (B) an MHD generator.

Bela Karlovitz, a Hungarian-born engineer, was instrumental in reviving interest in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generation during the 1920s and 1930s, when he first proposed a gaseous MHD system.1

In 1938, Karlovitz collaborated with fellow Hungarian engineer D. Halász to establish an experimental MHD facility at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation research laboratories. By 1946, their work successfully demonstrated that small amounts of electric power could be extracted from the system by seeding the working gas to improve its conductivity. Although the project was eventually abandoned due to an insufficient understanding of the conditions required to make the working gas an effective conductor, Karlovitz’s efforts were foundational in the development of modern MHD technology.1