Magnetohydraulic flow through a packed bed of electrically conducting spheres

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5678836

Sanders, T L

The flow of an electrically conducting fluid through a packed bed of electrically conducting spheres in the presence of a strong magnetic field constitutes a very complex flow situation due to the constant turning of the fluid in and out of magnetic field lines. The interaction of the orthogonal components of the velocity and magnetic field will induce electric fields that are orthogonal to both and the electric fields in turn can cause currents that interact with the magnetic field to generate forces against the direction of flow. The strengths of these generated forces depend primarily upon the closure paths taken by the induced currents which, in turn, depend upon the relative ratio of the electrical resistance of the solid spheres to that of the fluid. Both experimental and analytical analyses of the slow flow of a eutectic mixture of sodium and potassium (NaK) through packed cylinders containing stainless steel spheres in the presence of a strong transverse magnetic field were completed. A theory of magnetohydraulic flow is developed by analogy with the development of hydraulic radius theories of flow through porous media. An exact regional analysis is successfully applied to an infinite bed of electrically conducting spheres with a conducting or non-conducting constraining wall on one side. The equations derived are solved for many different combinations of flowrate, magnetic field strength, porosity, and electrical resistance ratio.

• Research Organization: Texas Univ., Austin (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5678836
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640430* -- Fluid Physics-- Magnetohydrodynamics
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALLOYS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS
ELEMENTS
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDS
HYDRAULICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LIQUID METALS
LIQUIDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
METALS
PACKED BED
POTASSIUM ALLOYS
SODIUM ALLOYS
SPHERES
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS