Role of Soft-Iron Impellers on the Mode Selection in the von Karman-Sodium Dynamo Experiment

Journal Article · Fri Jan 29 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.104.044503· OSTI ID:21386770

Giesecke, Andre; Stefani, Frank; Gerbeth, Gunter ^[1]

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1. Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, D-01314 Dresden (Germany)

A crucial point for the understanding of the von Karman-sodium (VKS) dynamo experiment is the influence of soft-iron impellers. We present numerical simulations of a VKS-like dynamo with a localized permeability distribution that resembles the shape of the flow driving impellers. It is shown that the presence of soft-iron material essentially determines the dynamo process in the VKS experiment. An axisymmetric magnetic field mode can be explained by the combined action of the soft-iron disk and a rather small {alpha} effect parametrizing the induction effects of unresolved small scale flow fluctuations.

• OSTI ID: 21386770
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 104; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALKALI METALS
AXIAL SYMMETRY
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ELEMENTS
FLUCTUATIONS
INDUCTION
IRON
MAGNETIC FIELDS
METALS
MODE SELECTION
PERMEABILITY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SIMULATION
SODIUM
SYMMETRY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TUNING
VARIATIONS