Performance and flow characteristics of MHD seawater thruster

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6300889

Doss, E D

The main goal of the research is to investigate the effects of strong magnetic fields on the electrical and flow fields inside MHD thrusters. The results of this study is important in the assessment of the feasibility of MHD seawater propulsion for the Navy. To accomplish this goal a three-dimensional fluid flow computer model has been developed and applied to study the concept of MHD seawater propulsion. The effects of strong magnetic fields on the current and electric fields inside the MHD thruster and their interaction with the flow fields, particularly those in the boundary layers, have been investigated. The results of the three-dimensional computations indicate that the velocity profiles are flatter over the sidewalls of the thruster walls in comparison to the velocity profiles over the electrode walls. These nonuniformities in the flow fields give rise to nonuniform distribution of the skin friction along the walls of the thrusters, where higher values are predicted over the sidewalls relative to those over the electrode walls. Also, a parametric study has been performed using the three-dimensional MHD flow model to analyze the performance of continuous electrode seawater thrusters under different operating parameters. The effects of these parameters on the fluid flow characteristics, and on the thruster efficiency have been investigated. Those parameters include the magnetic field (10--20 T), thruster diameter, surface roughness, flow velocity, and the electric load factor. The results show also that the thruster performance improves with the strength of the magnetic field and thruster diameter, and the efficiency decreases with the flow velocity and surface roughness.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOD
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6300889
• Report Number(s): CONF-9010293-1; ON: DE91006366
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300102 -- MHD Generators-- Performance & Testing
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320204 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation-- Sea & Water
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330000* -- Advanced Propulsion Systems
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
BOUNDARY LAYERS
EFFICIENCY
FLOW MODELS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LAYERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PERFORMANCE
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
SEAWATER
SHIPS
SUBMARINES
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
THRUSTERS
WATER