Using the analogy between hydrodynamic and electrical current flow, we study herein how electrical current density redistributes and amplifies due to two commonly encountered inhomogeneities in metals. First, we consider flow around a spherical resistive inclusion and find significant j amplification, independent of inclusion size. Hence, even μm-scale inclusions can affect performance in applications by creating localized regions of enhanced Joule heating. Next, we investigate redistribution due to surface roughness, idealized as a sinusoidal perturbation with amplitude A and wavelength λ. Theory predicts that j amplification is determined by the ratio , so that even “smooth” surface finishes (i.e., small A) can generate significant amplification, if λ is correspondingly small. We compare theory with magnetohydrodynamic simulation to illustrate both the utility and limitations of the steady-state theory.
Yu, Edmund P., et al. "Use of hydrodynamic theory to estimate electrical current redistribution in metals." Physics of Plasmas, vol. 27, no. 5, May. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5143271
Yu, Edmund P., Awe, Thomas James, Cochrane, Kyle R., Yates, Kevin C., Hutchinson, Trevor M., Peterson, Kyle John, & Bauer, Bruno Steven (2020). Use of hydrodynamic theory to estimate electrical current redistribution in metals. Physics of Plasmas, 27(5). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5143271
Yu, Edmund P., Awe, Thomas James, Cochrane, Kyle R., et al., "Use of hydrodynamic theory to estimate electrical current redistribution in metals," Physics of Plasmas 27, no. 5 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5143271
@article{osti_1618071,
author = {Yu, Edmund P. and Awe, Thomas James and Cochrane, Kyle R. and Yates, Kevin C. and Hutchinson, Trevor M. and Peterson, Kyle John and Bauer, Bruno Steven},
title = {Use of hydrodynamic theory to estimate electrical current redistribution in metals},
annote = {Using the analogy between hydrodynamic and electrical current flow, we study herein how electrical current density j redistributes and amplifies due to two commonly encountered inhomogeneities in metals. First, we consider flow around a spherical resistive inclusion and find significant j amplification, independent of inclusion size. Hence, even μm-scale inclusions can affect performance in applications by creating localized regions of enhanced Joule heating. Next, we investigate j redistribution due to surface roughness, idealized as a sinusoidal perturbation with amplitude A and wavelength λ. Theory predicts that j amplification is determined by the ratio A / λ, so that even “smooth” surface finishes (i.e., small A) can generate significant amplification, if λ is correspondingly small. We compare theory with magnetohydrodynamic simulation to illustrate both the utility and limitations of the steady-state theory.},
doi = {10.1063/1.5143271},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1618071},
journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {ISSN 1070-664X},
number = {5},
volume = {27},
place = {United States},
publisher = {American Institute of Physics (AIP)},
year = {2020},
month = {05}}