Current distribution and nonuniformity effects in MHD disk generators

Technical Report · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:6728599

Roseman, D F

Results of an experimental and analytical study of current distribution and nonuniformity effects in combustion driven MHD disk generators are presented. The overall objective of the study was to investigate the importance of these phenomena to baseload power generation. The experimental work consisted of combustion-driven steady state experiments with a peg-wall channel operated in a superconducting magnet. The peg-wall construction allowed current and voltage distributions to be measured. The channel was operated with plasma temperatures up to 2750 K and magnetic field strengths up to 5.5 Tesla. The magnitudes of the currents and voltages were reduced by significant loss mechanisms, primarily electrode losses and current leakage through the wall caused by potassium seed penetration of the castable ceramic between the pegs. A simple circuit model accounting for these losses was developed enabling comparisons to be made with analytical calculations. Under normal uniform electrical loading the distributions measured in the channel were uniform as expected. Nonuniform electrical loading was used to produce and measure effects on the current distribution that occur only in the presence of high magnetic fields as required for MHD power generation.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (USA). High Temperature Gasdynamics Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-80ET15611
• OSTI ID: 6728599
• Report Number(s): HTGL-231; ON: DE83000522
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
DISK MHD GENERATORS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
LEAKAGE CURRENT
MHD CHANNELS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS
TESTING
CURRENTS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROMAGNETS
EQUIPMENT
MAGNETS
MHD GENERATORS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
300104* - MHD Generators- Duct Engineering & Fluid Dynamics
300102 - MHD Generators- Performance & Testing